Cubs Quick Hits: Javy Baez Crushes Pitches Outside Zone
Hitters typically like pitches inside the strike zone, not out of it. Javy Baez isn’t a typical hitter. The second baseman who is gentle with his bat crushed a variety of “bad” pitches last year, according to the isolated power zone profile below.
While Baez did the majority of his damage against pitches in the middle of the zone, he had a robust .429 ISO on pitches down and in, as well as a quality .235 ISO against pitches in on his hands. That’s excellent plate coverage and shows just how quick his hands are.
It should be noted, however, that the NLCS MVP did swing at 42 percent more pitches outside the strike zone than the average hitter. But just imagine a world in which Javy tones down on those bad swings…