Cubs' All-Stars Baez and Contreras provide spark despite off-field challenges

Jared Wyllys

Cubs' All-Stars Baez and Contreras provide spark despite off-field challenges image

CHICAGO — The All-Star Game on Tuesday night will be a special night for all the players involved, and especially so for the Cubs’ Javy Baez and Willson Contreras.

They will both start for the National League for the second year in a row; the last Cubs player to start consecutive All-Star games was Sammy Sosa close to two decades ago, and they have not had two players in the starting lineup in back-to-back years since Andre Dawson and Ryne Sandberg in 1990 and 1991. The Cubs have not had a catcher start consecutive times since Gabby Hartnett in 1936 and 1937. Last year, Baez started at second base, and this year he’s the starting shortstop. He is just the fourth player in major league history to start the All-Star game in back-to-back years at different positions. 

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There’s a lot that’s unique about what those two have accomplished. And they’re headed to the All-Star stage as two of the more dynamic players in the league.

“They’re very charismatic,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “I think Javy’s one of the most watchable guys in the game, and if you’re around Willson enough, you don’t see that kind of performance behind the plate every day.”

The All-Star Game is a yearly showcase of baseball’s best and most exciting players, and Baez and Contreras both fit the bill. 

“That's what you're looking for. You’re looking for highly skilled, young major league players that can represent you in the All-Star Game and appeal to a wide audience,” Maddon said. “I think they both appeal to a wide audience.”

Both players bring joy and energy to the game, and in both cases they’ve drawn some ire for how they play. But baseball has always been a game of myriad personalities, and to focus just on the perceived negatives of Baez and Contreras is to miss what’s behind the two players. Baez and Contreras both project flair and, at times, downright cockiness. But on closer look, there’s also humility and a strong sense of purpose because of where they have come from.

Baez had a gun pointed to his chest during a robbery when he was 11 and lost a sister in 2015. His homeland of Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria two years ago and has yet to fully recover, and he still chooses to approach his job with almost childlike joy and enthusiasm even while it might make the old-school baseball types bristle.

“The way that I play the game, not everybody is going to like it, but there’s going to be more people that like it than the ones that don’t,” Baez told SN.

Baez said he knows that a lot of eyes are on him when he plays, and he sees that as an opportunity to reward that attention and play with enthusiasm, even if it means that some won’t like how it comes across.

“Everybody sees the game differently, and I think they see the business side first, and you know, everybody’s got their point. But I think it’s our job to have fun out there and just play the game,” Baez said. “The way I see it, I see it like I’m playing back home like I was a kid. You know, just having fun and doing these crazy things on the bases.”

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Contreras has also been criticized for his style of play, but like Baez it’s a part of his game that’s not going to change. And like his teammate, playing with zeal requires setting aside some off-the-field heaviness. When Contreras got the news on June 27 that he was on the All-Star starting roster for the second year in a row, he was emotional, dedicating the honor to his family and his home that is in the middle of years-long strife.

“I am dedicating it to my country, I am doing this for the people of my country,” Contreras told SN. “And I just hope that one day in the near future Venezuela is able to get back to what it once was because it truly was one of the greatest countries.”

Socioeconomic and political crises have hobbled the country, leaving Venezuela with horrible inflation, hunger, and crime rates. Many have left, and for the ones who remain the future of the country is uncertain. During the offseason, Contreras has returned home and driven around handing out food to kids, and here in the United States he’s selling “Freedom for Venezuela” shirts through obviousshirts.com, with proceeds going back to help his home country. 

All of this and he’s putting together the strongest season of his career. Through the first half, he’s slashing .289/.383/.563. But that doesn’t mean he’s not playing some games under added weight.

“It’s no secret what’s going on in Venezuela,” Contreras said. “It is hard a lot of the time to come to the park and try to forget about what’s going on there, but it’s my job and that’s what I have to do.” 

Despite what Contreras is going through off of the field, Maddon has said that he’s like the wall socket that the rest of the team often plugs into for energy, and his All-Star teammate agrees.

“What Willson brings to the team is huge because when he’s down, everybody’s down,” Baez said. “And when he’s doing all these electric and crazy things on the field, it kind of gets us into the game.”

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Contreras attributes his on-the-field style to a lifelong devotion to baseball.

“Honestly, that energy I’ve had since I was a little kid, but it’s just how I am, how I play,” he said. “God gave me the gift of being able to play baseball at this high level. He gave me this path, he put me on this path. I didn’t go to school, I didn’t study because I was working on my craft as a baseball player. I think that’s one of the main reasons for why I’ve had success in this game.”

For both players, their play has an added layer of meaning, and even though what they carry can be heavy, Baez and Contreras still bring a spark to the field that’s a big part of showcasing why baseball can be fun. And the All-Star game is a great stage for them to do that.

“When you’re out there, everyone’s looking at you and paying attention to what you do, so I think for the kids you gotta have fun,” Baez said, “and play as you as a kid, you know? When you were a kid, you still had fun and played the game.”

Jared Wyllys