Javier Baez was the Chicago Cubs first round selection in 2011 -- picked ninth overall -- and is currently ranked as the 61st prospect in the world by Baseball America. There is no doubt that Baez is a real talent, but after his actions last week, we can safely say Javier Baez is also kind of a dick, but in the cool Byrce Harper slamming-his-helmet-and-getting-tossed / mustache-rocking-blowing-kisses-at-the-opposing-pitcher-he-just-hit-a-bomb-off-of sort of way.
Arizona Phil of The Cub Reported, fill us in:
Baez stood at home plate for a couple of seconds after absolutely walloping the gopher ball 400+ feet and off the roof of a house on the north side of 8th Street (Baez did the exact same thing on Tuesday when he launched a three-run homer over the LF fence at Indian School Park in Scottsdale), at which point one of the Angel coaches yelled, "Run the bases!"
Baez initially took the "advice" and he did run the bases (albeit a bit of a "Cadillac" trot that probably further irritated the opposition), but upon reaching home plate Baez stopped and yelled back at the Angel bench, "I can do whatever the fuck I want!"
Trey Martin and Gioskar Amaya (who were on base in front of Baez) and on-deck hitter Rock Shoulders pulled Baez back to the Cubs bench, avoiding a potential bench-clearing brawl on the field...
In bigger news, the Cubs have a prospect named Rock Shoulders. Rock Shoulders! ROCK SHOULDERS! ROCK SHOULDERS!
As we used to say at the old network, Javier Baez, you are TUP-approved*. Oh, and you are too, Rock Shoulders.
*I guess now we should say: "SB Nation Chicago approves this message."
Twitter @ZWMartin