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It was another time for Javier Baez on Thursday night at Wrigley Field, a spectacular save from the back of the hole, a shot in the head and a dramatic landing on the back.
The game finally ended in a hard blow for Jordy Mercer in the Cubs' 3-0 win over the Pirates, but that did not really matter to the crowd of 38,415 spectators, who gave a big standing ovation. .
Two races later, Baez fell in front of field player Starling Marte and kept running before making his way to a double with an aggressive base.
This is the kind of pieces that Baez has seen all year, and two of the reasons why Baez enters the last weekend of the season with a realistic shot to win the award for the best player of the season. National League.
Think about it for a second: Did anyone see coming the season that started in Miami last March?
After carrying the Cubs attack all year long while performing Matrix-style moves on the field and on baseball, Baez has one last chance to convince voters that he deserves the MVP title against Christian Yelich a slight advantage.
It is of course secondary to the Central National League's Cubs pursuit and they now have a lead over the Brewers with three games to go.
But how can Baez push these MVP thoughts into this crucial series against the cardinals?
"I would say he has to be there somewhere because he hears it all the time," said manager Joe Maddon. "But it's really good to be in the moment. When I go to the mound for these conversations, it is always full of something, which means thoughts, advice or discussions with the thrower. Returning after a fight that may not have been so good, he may be his own critic. But then he drops it. He (cheering) the guy who is up to it, or what's going on.
"He did a good job staying focused and focused. It's probably hard not to think (being MVP) in one way or another, but I also think that 99% of his thoughts are about the division's victory.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel declared the MVP race on Tuesday after Yelich slammed the line and made six points on the Brewers' Cardinals. On Wednesday, the Cardinals treated Yelich as Barry Bonds, walking him five times to prevent him from doing damage in what turned into another defeat.
Yelich opened the eyes of the voter, leading the league to hit .321 while climbing to the front with a WAR 6.9, according to fangraphs.com. Baez, apparently on the front row for the past two months, dropped to fourth place at NL WAR at 5.4, although he still leads the pack Thursday with 111 points, while Yelich was 104.
But how you finish and how it affects the finish of your team counts a lot in the MVP vote. If the brewers win the division, Yelich will probably benefit. He averaged 1.208 OPS leading the league in September and finished second in the RBIs (28) and the slowdown percentage (0.728). Baez entered Thursday's game with 13 RBIs and a decent 0.506 in September, but well behind Yelich's end-of-season performance.
If Jon Lester had a vote, Baez would get the "X".
"For me, what puts it above everyone else in this discussion is its ability to play multiple roles," Lester said. "I think it's easy to show up every day and know which place in the order you're going to hit and what position you're going to play. It's a kind of "ease of mind" thing. Javy has made it to the second, short and third for us all year. I think it puts him a bit heavier as he shows up every day and does not know where he's going to play.
"The offending side speaks for itself. People want to emphasize that it does not work much, but I think the numbers speak for themselves. It's hard to argue (against Baez).
Whether the Cubs win the division or not, Baez will always remember 2018 as the year he became an elite player. And no matter what happens this weekend, Baez should receive his share of ovations in appreciation for what he has accomplished this season. He has not only emerged as one of the best hitters of the game, but he is also one of the most entertaining players.
Most voters have probably already decided to award the title of MVP, but Baez could still be able to swing these few stragglers sitting on the fence.
A last move for Javy? You must understand that he is going to swing.
"Winning the division, I think, is more important to him than winning an MVP award," said Maddon. "And (I say)" Come on, do your job, just play as you play, and let yourself be taken care of. "
"I see a really mature baseball player."
Twitter @PWSullivan
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