No prospect's struggles have been as widely discussed as those of Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez, and for good reason. Coming into the year, many though he had a great chance to become an everyday player somewhere in the Chicago infield because of his offensive prowess; a middle infielder who could hit for average and power because of his bat speed, as well as an ability to hit any pitch on any part of the plate hard.
Instead, Baez has been completely overmatched by Triple-A pitching in the first six weeks of the year, posting an OPS of .484 as of Saturday, with just six extra-base hits and 45 strikeouts for the season. He has been particularly bad in in May, hitting .104 this month, with no homers or doubles and with 23 strikeouts in 48 at-bats.
Obviously, those expecting Baez to help out at the big league level anytime soon are living a pipe dream, but despite all of his struggles, could he still see his big league debut in time to make an impact on fantasy teams?
The answer is yes, but it's going to take a lot of things breaking right.