For the money, there isn’t really a worse hitter than Tigers shortstop Javy Báez. He ranks near (or at) the bottom in virtually every hitting metric this season, and his abysmal plate discipline makes for an easy matchup whenever a pitcher gets Báez in a two-strike count.
Twins catcher Christian Vazquez really took advantage of that on Sunday.
With Báez down 0-2 in the sixth inning against Minnesota, Vazquez set up his target for pitcher Bailey Ober well into the left-hand batter’s box. For almost every other hitter, you’d never see a target like that. It’s a waste pitch, after all. But there really aren’t waste pitches when Báez is at the plate.
The Twins had a plan for Javy Baez https://t.co/ncPkJt0eWu pic.twitter.com/bs3018QBcX
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 28, 2024
Vazquez knew that Báez was swinging, so it didn’t make much sense to even have the pitch go anywhere near the zone. So, of course, that target worked as Báez swung and missed for strike 3.
He’s hitting .178 on the season for a reason.
