Detroit Tigers Veteran Has Revived Career With Unorthodox Batting Stance Change
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Just a few months ago, all of the focus surrounding Detroit Tigers veteran Javier Baez was on how much longer he would be under contract.
Signed to a six-year, $140 million deal ahead of the 2022 campaign, his contract was considered to be one of the worst in MLB.
It was an ugly distinction to have, but hard to argue against based on what Baez had accomplished in his tenure with the franchise.
He struggled to stay healthy and his offensive numbers plummeted each year. After having a below-average 91 OPS+ in 2022, he had a 63 in 2023 and a 46 in 2024.
Heading into spring training, there was no role available to him. He was looking like a utility player with some reps available at third base and Trey Sweeney entrenched as the starting shortstop.
The Tigers experimented with him in center field as well helping compensate for the loss of several outfielders to injury.
What has ensued is one of the most shocking developments of the 2025 season; Baez is a key cog in Detroit’s success on the field.
He has taken over as the every day center fielder, acclimating himself well to learning a new defensive position on the fly.
Always known as a solid defender, where Baez is really shocking people is with his production at the plate.
What Changes Did Javier Baez Make To Improve Offensively?
Through 130 plate appearances he has a .309/.346/.496 slash line with an OPS+ of 137. He has hit five home runs, including a historic performance against the Boston Red Sox with a walk-off home run and eight doubles with 27 RBI.
What has led to such an unlikely turnaround?
Baez made some major changes to his batting stance and they are pay dividends.
“Báez and his stance changes are an anomaly from most of the others on this list: He closed his stance this year, from 33 degrees in 2024 to just 10 degrees this year. That has led to a much shorter step for his lead foot, which may be helping him get his swing cadence down better than in past seasons. His intercept point (where the bat meets the ball) is now double the distance where it was last year relative to the pitcher, which would support the idea his timing is better,” wrote Josh Wilson of Sports Illustrated.
There are some concerning underlying metrics, with Baez’s entire Baseball Savant page being blue.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he has been arguably their most impactful player to this point. His production has been a major factor in the Tigers owning the best record in baseball and they will ride the hot hand for as long as they can.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.