Javier Baez Is One of MLB’s Biggest Wild Cards of 2016

Once an elite prospect destined to help the Chicago Cubs become relevant again, Javier Baez is now a former prospect hoping to latch onto a Cubs team that became relevant without him.

As Carrie Muskat of MLB.com noted, whether Baez is up to that challenge is among the big questions the Cubs hope to answer this spring.

And though this probably wouldn’t be a staggering blow to the Cubs, it would certainly put Baez back in prospect purgatory.

Baez told Bruce Levine of 670 The Score that he felt “really good” playing center field in the Caribbean Winter League, and Cubs manager Joe Maddon expressed his faith last month.

“I definitely think he can,” Maddon said when asked about Baez’s ability to play center field, via Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago.

If Baez proves capable of playing center field, it’s not much of a stretch to assume he could also play left or right field in a pinch.

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated wrote about how Baez and the Cubs were responding to his major league reality check by testing out some changes in the batter’s box.

Per Baseball Savant, here’s a look at how much Baez improved in two-strike counts: The Cubs first baseman looks to drive the ball early in counts, but he calms down his approach and simply looks to put it in play in two-strike counts.

The Cubs are hoping that Baez can be a super utility guy, and he might actually be able to field and hit well enough to make that hope come true.