Javier Baez was drafted by the Chicago Cubs as the ninth pick in the 2011 draft as former GM Jim Hendry’s final first round pick. He was viewed as a shortstop that featured tremendous pop in his bat, a rocket of an arm and an extremely quick glove.
Baez climbed the ranks of the Cubs organization quickly and made his major league debut on Aug. 6, 2014. The Cubs were out of contention at this point and wanted to see what they had in Baez, who had been raking in Triple-A with 23 home runs and 80 RBI.