After Dexter Fowler’s departure in 2017, it wouldn’t be crazy to call Javy Baez the Cubs’ spark plug. When the Cubs’ offense is at its best, Baez is almost always in the middle of the action.
Whether it’s a ridiculous slide to avoid a tag on a stolen base or a 440-foot blast onto Waveland Avenue, you can almost guarantee that when the star shortstop is doing those things, the Cubs are winning ball games.
The Cubs didn’t have that player that brings electricity to the ballpark in 2020, and no player was affected by the shortened regular season, the loss of in-game video, or the absence of fans more than Baez.