One of the defining pieces of the Detroit Tigers' 2025 emergence has been the return of infielder Javier Báez. Everything about the season from the veteran is an outlier when it comes to the recent numbers. Not since his days with the Chicago Cubs has Báez offered this level of consistency. While there was a short run with the New York Mets prior to signing in Detroit, this was set up by a tough season in Chicago. One that made the franchise willing to turn the page on a player who was pivotal to breaking a long World Series curse. Báez hit .222 and .184 the last two years, with any combination of numbers coming to the same conclusion.
The Tigers' infielder was unplayable if the franchise was going to be considered among the league's top contenders. Setting the stage for what has been an incredible turnaround and an important piece of why the Tigers find themselves in such a great position. Báez is hitting .275 and is yet to hit the familiar slump that has defined his Detroit tenure. With that said, it would be fair to expect some level of regression in the second half of the season.
The Tigers Should Expect Regression From Javier Báez
Perhaps this will age poorly, and the infielder will continue to defy the odds, putting together a true outlier of a season. Tigers' fans would be happy for the story to continue, and it would support Detroit's hopes of making a deep series run. However, it would be disingenuous to pretend that it is the expected path for the rest of the 2025 season.
The last time Báez put a full year together at this level of offensive production was in the 2019 season with the Chicago Cubs. Not since this time has there been a complete effort from the veteran infielder. All of this adds up to Detroit being very cautious in what it expects to receive from the infielder in the second half of the season.
Báez's career is a mystery in many ways, and the alarming regression is a part of this. If there is one player who is going to defy expectations and continue the unexplainable turnaround, it is the veteran. Still, fans should be very careful just how much they expect from a player who has proven continually that he cannot be trusted.