Detroit Tigers fans throw shade at Javy Baez after he logs 1000th major league hit: "If only he didn’t have 1,164 strikeouts to go with them"
Detroit Tigers infielder Javy Baez collected his 1,000th major league hit on Tuesday, logging the achievement on an RBI single against the Kansas City Royals.
Hitting a landmark like 1,000 hits is usually a moment for celebration, but Tigers fans weren't able to work up much joy for Baez. The 10-year MLB veteran is muddling through his second-straight disappointing season in Motown, hitting .234 in 2023 after logging a .238 average in 2022.
Javy Báez records his 1,000th career hit! https://t.co/E9GlvDpErD
Javy Baez, known as an electric and entertaining player through the first eight years of his MLB career, just hasn't been the same since coming to Motown. Often known as an all-or-nothing type of batter, it's been much more just nothing with the Tigers.
@TalkinBaseball_ If only he didn’t have 1,164 strikeouts to go with them
@TalkinBaseball_ Only 13 days after the anniversary of his 1,000th strikeout
@TalkinBaseball_ After 3000 swings and misses at pitches in Canada
Javy Baez signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Tigers before the 2022 season. For a player who thrives on love and excitement, agreeing to join the MLB's equivalent of a gulag was like signing the death warrant on his own career.
The two-time All-Star, former Gold Glove Award winner and a key member of the Chicago Cubs team that broke the organization's 108-year World Series drought has become a shell of his former self in the Motor City.
@TalkinBaseball_ Many of them seem accidental lol
@TalkinBaseball_ It’s gonna take him 3 years to get another 100
@TalkinBaseball_ This is such an important milestone he'll sit at 1000 hits for the next two weeks, to fully appreciate it
The runner-up in the 2018 National League Most Valuable Player voting hasn't had a standout season since 2021, when he hit .265 with 31 home runs.
@TalkinBaseball_ Bout time
@TalkinBaseball_ Took long enough
Baez still has a few fans out there, though. It's just that very few of them root for the Tigers.
@TalkinBaseball_ Good for him!
@TalkinBaseball_ The Connor mcgregor of baseball . If no one got javy, I got javy 🐐⛽️
Javy Baez's heyday with the Chicago Cubs feel long ago
Baez was legendary with the Cubs. He debuted with the team in 2014 with a penchant for flair, and his defensive skills often made the highlight reels.
As a hitter, he had a knack for the clutch home run, and he led the National League with 111 RBIs in 2018. He was the MVP of the 2016 NL Championship Series, when the Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games to go to their first World Series since 1945. Chicago then went on to top the Cleveland Guardians to claim its first MLB title since 1908.
He was traded to the New York Mets at the deadline in 2021 and hit .299 in 47 games with the team before signing that offseason with Detroit.