Re: [情報] THE ATHLETIC 搬運工
Javy Baez and Jose Berrios: Brothers-in-law forging their own paths to stardom
On the field, Javier Baez doesn’t think twice. He processes the game at
hyperspeed,taking huge swings that might knock him off his feet and using his
instincts to do the swim moves and the no-look tags that can never be taught.
The “El Mago” nickname conjures up all of his mystical powers for the Cubs.
Off the field, Baez can be so quiet and guarded that you probably didn’t
even know that his brother-in-law is an All-Star pitcher, the Minnesota Twins
’ Opening Day starter and also one of the brightest young talents in the
game.
That would be Joseé Berrios, who’s trying to make the same kind of leap
that Baez did last season, when he finished second in the National League
MVP voting and became a leader by example within the Wrigley Field clubhouse.
A first-time All-Star in 2018, Berrios has just begun to tap into his
massive potential after a slow start to his career that has a lot of
similarities to his more famous older brother-in-law. Just like Baez
struggled during a late call-up in 2014, Berrios didn’t immediately ascend
to stardom in 2016 and had to be sent down in the middle of the season. But
similar to Baez’s steady improvement in 2016, Berrios began to put it
together last season and now finds himself on the verge of becoming one of
the American League’s best pitchers.
Baez’s ascension culminated in a 2016 World Series ring and has helped him
amass nearly 1.5 million followers between his Twitter and Instagram
accounts. His No. 9 jersey ranked third on Major League Baseball’s
bestselling list last season. He’s the rare baseball player with a
distinctive brand and an endorsement portfolio now worth millions.
Yet Baez — a bilingual speaker who grew up in Puerto Rico and graduated
from high school in Florida — still tries to keep a certain distance.
If Baez had been easier to read at Arlington Country Day School in
Jacksonville — and more under control — maybe he never would have been
available when the Cubs selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2011
draft. The scouts who pushed for Baez in the final months of the Jim Hendry
regime — and the instructors who helped Theo Epstein implement “The Cubs Way
” — learned that they had to be patient and earn his trust.
The kid who once got pranked for being a little too loud and too comfortable
in spring training is now rarely seen during the hour the clubhouse is
typically open to the media in Arizona: Wait, was that Baez pouring a cup of
coffee in the hallway? The Cubs have come a long way from 2013, when Báez’s
white Mercedes-Benz was detailed with MLB decals across the hood and trunk —
to match his neck tattoo — and a “ROOKIE ON BOARD” full-length bumper
sticker.
Berríos, who gave the best man speech at Baez’s wedding, explained this
split-screen existence.
“When he’s out there, he’s a big star,” Berrios said. “But off the
field, he’s really, really shy and humble. He likes to spend time with his
family. Now he’s got a baby, his wife. He has seven dogs. He spends time
with his family and his animals. He’s a simple guy.
“You see the big Javy. But that’s the way he plays baseball. The people
like it. I like how he plays. But off the field, he’s a normal guy.”
A tireless worker, Berrios has earned the respect of Baez, who was two
years ahead of him in school in Bayamon, a blue-collar suburb of San Juan.
They never played on the same team growing up and only faced each other a few
times in youth sports before Baez moved to the mainland United States. They
met their wives — sisters Irmarie and Jannieliz Marquez — independently of
each other, and now, all these years later, Baez and Berrios spend the
majority of their offseasons together with their families. Often, the
conversation turns to baseball as the two use each other as a sounding board.
Baez wouldn’t be surprised if Berrios makes the leap in 2019.
“He can have a great season,” Baez said. “He’s a great pitcher. He works
for it.
“Every mistake that we make, we just learn from each other and we give
advice to each other.”
Though they have very different personalities, Baez and Berrios are bonded
by family and their love for Puerto Rico. Baez, 26, is now married to
Irmarie and a father to Adrian (whose Instagram pose in a Cubs diaper last
month drew more than 95,000 likes when @javy23baez announced “Baseball Is
Here”).
Berrios, who is more grounded in his religious faith and two months away
from his 25th birthday, has three children — Valentina (4), Sebastian (2)
and Diego (1) — with his wife Jannieliz, whom he’s known since high school
in Bayamon.
It’s these roots that made last April so special for the Twins pitcher.
Seven months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, causing an
estimated $85 billion in damage, Minnesota and Cleveland played two
regular-season games in San Juan to show the world that the island was once
again open for business.
That moment at Hiram Bithorn Stadium showed the potential greatness within
Berríos, pitching in front of a group of MLB dignitaries that included
Javier Vazquez, Carlos Delgado, Juan Gonzalez, Roberto Alomar, Carlos
Baerga, Alex Rios and Jose Vidro.
It would have been easy for Berrios to feel overwhelmed and exhausted after
two days of hosting friends and family and participating in humanitarian
efforts, which included rebuilding housing for displaced and abused women and
children.
Instead, Berrios needed only three pitches to strike out Francisco Lindor,
the first and only time he’s ever struck him out in 19 matchups. While he
allowed two first-inning singles, Berríos otherwise shut down the American
League Central favorites for seven innings. Every time Berrios struck out a
batter, the crowd roared with delight. The only disappointment was the Twins
pulling Berrios in the eighth inning of a scoreless game, denying him the
chance to get the win.
“The rest of the season, we spoke about that trip,” Berrios said. “It was
very memorable for all of us.”
For those few days, Berríos, Lindor, Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario and
Cleveland catcher Roberto Pérez were ambassadors for the Puerto Rican
baseball community, representing the island’s 3.4 million residents with
this message: We’re still standing.
Baez felt the impact when he returned home this offseason, running a youth
baseball clinic with Berrios, training together and hanging out with family.
“It’s been pretty big for our island — and for us — that people recognize
us over there,” Baez said. “It’s really special when we see kids smiling
because they see you. Obviously, we went through a hard time over there in
Puerto Rico, and we’re just trying to do everything we can to bring it back
up.”
On the night Baez made his big-league debut, he pushed his sister in a
wheelchair from Coors Field back to her hotel in downtown Denver. It was a
sobering moment for the hotshot prospect who had just hit the game-winning
homer in the 12th inning against the Rockies, giving Cubs fans a reason to
cheer a last-place team in August 2014. Noely, who was born with spina
bifida, had always been an important anchor for her brother.
When Noely died eight months later at the age of 21, Baez took a leave of
absence from Triple-A Iowa and then returned with a renewed sense of purpose.
Joe Maddon, the new Cubs manager in 2015, had lobbied for Baez to make the
Opening Day roster, awed by his slick defense and alert baserunning. By the
time the Cubs called up Baez that September, Maddon allowed him to be
himself and play without fear of making mistakes in the middle of a pennant
race.
“He’s a humble man,” Maddon said of Baez. “Probably his sister, who’s
passed away, has something to do with that. He’s seen the tougher side of
this whole thing we call the human race. He’s probably got a perspective
that maybe a lot of guys don’t have. You see this flashy player that plays
with his hair on fire, maybe a chain sticking out, maybe a tattoo.
“But one on one, is there a more humble guy? I don’t know. With the utmost
respect, he converses with you. I think it’s his roots, where he comes from
and how he grew up. He’s got a tremendous amount of respect for others.”
While the entire Cubs organization has experienced the World Series hangover
— dealing with feelings of complacency and stagnation that has made this a
season of reckoning in Chicago — Báez used the 2016 playoff run as a
springboard to become a franchise player.
“After that, he saw exactly what we wanted, what we were chasing,” said
Cubs reliever Pedro Strop, who is close with Baez and one of the unifying
forces in the Wrigley Field clubhouse. “He got that taste and he’s showing
he wants to taste that again. He’s more mature now. He’s married now. He’s
got a kid now. He’s a man now.”
Baez starred for Team Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic,
established himself as an everyday player for the Cubs and worked to cut down
his strikeouts without sacrificing too much of what made him such a dangerous
hitter.
The bat speed, the baseball IQ, the rocket arm and the lateral quickness all
came together in 2018 for Báez, who became the first player in major-league
history to reach 40 doubles, nine triples, 34 homers, 111 RBIs and 21 stolen
bases in a single season — while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense at
second base, shortstop and third base.
“He’s so instinctive on the field,” Maddon said. “He has a flamboyance
about it. But that’s not forced by any means. And then off the field, that’
s pretty much probably who he is. It’s kind of a nice balance between the
way he plays the game and the way he lives his life.”
Where Baez is instinctual, Berrios is mechanical. Nicknamed “La Makina”
(The Machine), Berríos has wowed Twins officials with his legendary
offseason beach workouts in Puerto Rico.
The videos show Berrios leading a dozen or so players, pushing up from a
prone position into a full sprint, leapfrogging over fixtures, shuttling from
side to side, pitching out of the windup and pushing automobiles — all on
the sand.
“When it comes to Jose’s preparation, he is second to none,” said Ian
Kadish, the director of strength and conditioning for the Twins. “His
attention to detail puts him in a position to succeed every time he toes the
rubber.
“I wouldn’t want to do his beach workouts … they look tough.”
But Berrios needs that athleticism to translate on the field with refined
mechanics and sharper pitches. He reported to spring training in Florida with
the kind of confidence that comes from striking out 202 batters in your first
full season in the big leagues. For the first time in his career, he knew he
would make the Opening Day roster (which he had accomplished in 2018).
That allowed Berrios to hone his skills instead of competing for a job. He
spent most of camp working on pitch command, specifically focusing on the
two-seam fastball, the 12-to-6 version of his curveball and his changeup.
“I want to be consistent for one season,” Berrios said, “and more
dominant than last year.”
Teammates say reaching that point is a matter of trust, confidence and
streamlined mechanics.
“That is how good he can be,” Twins catcher Mitch Garver said. “Obviously,
he’s an All-Star. He sets a lot of high personal goals for himself. He can
achieve all of them. It’s just a matter of being able to be consistent day
in and day out.
“(When he’s off), he’s not trusting his stuff. He throws the ball, tries
to hit corners as opposed to working the heart of the plate. His stuff moves
so much that he can pitch there. When he tries to throw more strikes, the
movement on his ball is not as effective, so it finds more barrels at that
time.”
One NL scout said Berrios has three plus-pitches with deception, including a
70-grade curveball on the 20-80 scouting scale. But it all comes down to
control and command.
“If he takes a jump there, he moves to that next tier,” the scout said. “
And he’s young enough that it’s a feasible reality.”
The same scout said every one of his reports has focused on Berrios’
delivery. Whenever Berrios hit a rut last season, his mechanics broke down.
Twins general manager Thad Levine sees that as the next step forward for him.
“He’s at times had elite strikeout rates and exceptional walk rates,”
Levine said. “At times, some of those do ebb when he gets a little out of
whack mechanically. Once he continues to learn his body — and can make
in-game adjustments rather than between-start adjustments — I think that’s
when we’re going to see this pitcher emerge as one of the elite pitchers in
the American League.
“The really good ones make between-start adjustments. The elite ones make
in-start adjustments. I think he has the mental acumen to be able to do that.
You need to marry that up with the maturity of knowing your body and your
abilities and then also trusting the resources that are around you.”
Berrios realizes that he can’t be perfect in every start. After putting up
an 8.02 ERA in 2016, he now has the confidence to know that a few bad outings
won’t result in a demotion to the minors.
“That happens,” Berrios said. “It’s just baseball and sometimes you get
away from your game plan. But you get back to it and stick to the plan.”
Berrios has a notebook that he brings with him everywhere to write down
personal goals.
What does he have in mind for this season?
“I have the chance to accomplish (20 wins) this year,” Berrios said. “I
want to put the team in the playoffs again. And make the All-Star Game.”
Just like last summer, when Berrios got Baez to fly out to right field at
Nationals Park, an All-Star moment that should be bigger and better if they
face each other again in the showcase event.
“They blend together,” said Nick Chanock, the Wasserman agent who
represents Baez and Berrios. “Both players play with passion, and they
express their passion in different ways. They draw on each other’s passion.
Javy plays with a lot of emotion and Joseé would benefit from that. Joseé
plays with a lot of grit and Javy benefits from that.
“They both share an intense passion for the game and they both have
different strengths — Javy with his ease and joy in the game and Jose and
his intensity. Their respective qualities rub off on each other.”
Looking down at his phone, Baez walked through the cramped batting cage for
the visiting team at Dodger Stadium. John Baker — the former big-league
catcher who now works as a mental skills coordinator for the Cubs — was
transfixed last June watching Baez take a few steps, then stop, then
continue walking without taking his eyes off the phone.
“Willson (Contreras) was just hitting rockets,” Baker recalled. “There’s
a very narrow space between the wall and where the cage is, so you’re kind
of in danger. (And) Javy — without looking — waited and heard the crack of
the bat. He knew the timing so that he when the next ball was hit, he was
like angled right behind the L screen in a way where he couldn’t get hit.
And then by the time the next ball was hit, he was through the door.
“He did the same thing on the way back and he never looked. It’s some sort
of spatial awareness genius happening where he doesn’t even have to be
directly looking at balls flying around to know exactly where he is in space.
”
Again, that gift cannot be taught. But Berrios has seen up close how Baez
handles fame and fortune, the daily pressure of playing for the Cubs and the
great expectations that come with “Javy Being Javy.”
“I look at life the same as the game,” Baez said. “You got to make
adjustments to be better. That’s how I look at it outside the field. I don’
t like to make the same mistakes. Every time that I do something wrong, I try
to learn from it and do it better next time.”
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