Sometime in the nearish future (by Cubs drought standards), if the Cubs manage to win a World Series we may look back at today as the day the franchise began turning around at the major league level.
This is not to say that Javier Baez will singularly lift the Cubs franchise on his back Sammy Sosa-style and carry them to glory. It’s not even a declaration that Baez’s propensity to strike out at alarming rates won’t eventually send him back to a permanent purgatory in Iowa where he and Mike Olt can impress the locals with otherworldly power and AAAA contact ability.
But Javier Baez’s promotion signals the beginning of the flood of talent that is coming from the revamped farm system that has been the highlight of following the Cubs the last three years.
As Cubs fans that get exposed to Vine Line, we’ve gotten used to seeing a majorly hyped prospect come along once every few years at best. But this is different. Behind Baez, Soler could be coming in less than a month. Bryant could show up next Spring. Addison Russell could be next fall.
And we’re not even talking about Almora, Schwarber, or McKinney any time real soon, but there they are down in the minors, making their way to Wrigley. And behind them are 17-year olds, Gleyber Torres and Eloy Jimenez. Wave after wave is building to come crashing into Wrigley over the next few years and Baez is the first major one to hit the North Side.
His every at-bat will cause major mood swings. Every strikeout will send Gordo and the Gordettes off the deep end screaming about debt load, cash flow, cheap owners, and an “easy” rebuild plan that was bound to fail without spending Yankee-esque levels of money.
Every booming homerun will send Kaplan and the Kool-Aid Drinkers into orgasmic convulsions as they doodle 2016 predicted line-ups with hearts dotting the i’s in the names while trying to convince their spouses to rename their children Theo and Jed.
But the reality is, Baez’s debut and subsequent stint in the majors this year doesn’t have to be a life or death situation for the Cubs or us fans. Enjoy the moment, folks. We’re finally getting to the good part.