(Image via Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

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The 2025 Detroit Tigers have been full of surprises to begin the season. Not only do they currently (as of May 19th) hold the best record in Major League Baseball at 31-16, but they have also had resurgent seasons out of many players that many fans and media members wrote off. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to write off former number one overall picks Casey Mize and Spencer Torkelson. Mize is currently on the injured list with a slight hamstring pull, but when he has pitched he has been very good with an ERA of 2.53, a record of 6-1, and a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) at 1.3. When healthy, Mize has helped be a part of one of the best rotations in all of baseball with Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reece Olson, and rookie Jackson Jobe. Spencer Torkelson on the other hand has really put it all together so far this season. He leads the team with 12 home runs, while also having 38 RBI, and an .885 OPS. While those guys have been a huge piece to the puzzle this season, nobody has quite shocked Tigers fans more than the return of Javier Baez. 

(Video Via Bleacher Report on Youtube)

As of this moment, Javy Baez has been the talk of baseball as he has seemed to come out of nowhere to be producing at all levels for the Detroit Tigers. The talk would rise dramatically after he dominated to help the Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 10-9 on May 13th with two different three-run homers (including a walkoff home run).  He currently leads the Tigers in WAR at 1.7, while also holding a .291 batting average, with 6 home runs, 28 RBI, and an OPS of .811. While his play at the plate has been shocking, he has also done all of this while learning how to be the team’s everyday Center Fielder. With the Tigers losing Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows, and Wenceel Perez to injury to open the season, the team turned to Baez to take control of the spacious center field in Comerica Park. He has done so with flying colors. Being the team’s new center fielder has almost given Baez a new lease on baseball life as the move has seemed to energize his play, while also bringing that newfound prowess to the plate. Baez has meant so much to this team so far this season as he has been the veteran presence this group of young hitters has really needed. 

Like I mentioned before, the return of Javier Baez has not just been a local story in Detroit. It has also been the talk of Major League Baseball. As of this moment, Baez is one of the favorites to win AL Comeback Player of the year (along with two of his previously mentioned teammates in Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize). We really haven’t seen Baez post this kind of success since his 2021 season where he split time between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. It was following that season where Baez received his contract from the Detroit Tigers worth $140 Million over six seasons. If Baez can continue the current pace he is on, there is a chance he may even make his first All Star Team since 2019 with the Cubs.

The question is, how did this resurgence occur? I do think there are a few different factors. First I believe the hip surgery has helped a lot. I’d imagine that the hip bothered him enough to the point where it sapped a lot of his power and hurt Baez’s overall aggressive swing. At the same time, there also needed to be a major change to his approach at the plate so he would stop chasing breaking balls in the other batters box. While those swings still occur, Baez has done an excellent job identifying those pitches better and making the right decision not to swing at them. Not swinging at those pitches has put him into better hitting counts and also gives him better pitches to swing at and do damage with. I would also imagine the offense around him as a whole also helps. When teams face the Tigers now, Baez is not the focus of most team’s scouting reports. With players like Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and others, teams want to attack Baez so they don’t put him on base for other guys to do damage. However, this has only helped Baez see better pitches to do the damage himself. Finally, I do think the move to center field has given him new life. Baez has always been a player who uses his athleticism to make incredible plays on the baseball field. That is how he got his nickname El Mago (The Magician). Being able to use that athleticism in more ways than one in center field has probably helped Baez’s confidence. Having confidence while also playing winning baseball can do a lot for a player and for Javier Baez that is probably no different.

What will the rest of the season hold? Nobody knows for sure, but Baez, like many players, has always had his peaks and valleys in a particular season. I would imagine that this season will be no different. However, at this moment, I can’t think of an athlete that has recaptured the hearts of Detroit fans more than how Javier Baez has done this season for the Tigers. If he can continue this level of play for the rest of the season, the Tigers might be the team to beat in the American League.

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