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AJ Hinch has incredible postgame comments on Javy Báez's long road back with Tigers

Emma Lingan
Emma Lingan

Motor City Bengals

Boston Red Sox v Detroit Tigers / Nic Antaya/GettyImages

As the American League-leading Detroit Tigers charge forward in their chase for an AL Central title, Javier Báez is authoring a comeback story for the ages.

From suffering injuries to falling short of expectations, Báez struggled mightily during his first three seasons in Detroit, and fans loudly made their displeasure known. But on Tuesday night at Comerica Park, the same fans that used to shower Báez with boos were chanting his name after he capped a two-homer night with a walk-off bomb in the 11th inning to secure a 10-9 Tigers win over the Boston Red Sox.

The Báez renaissance has been one of the best stories in baseball this year. He's slashing .319/.357/.513 with five home runs and 27 RBI, all while masterfully handling a defensive switch to a position he had never played before in his 11-year MLB career. He's done it all with a smile and a team-first attitude, and his teammates have taken notice.

AJ Hinch has incredible postgame comments on Javy Báez's long road back with Tigers

When asked after Tuesday's walk-off win about Báez's heroics, Tigers manager AJ Hinch couldn't help but break into a wide grin.

"You know, I am so happy for that guy," Hinch said. "I don't know if he's going to tell you how important it is to him. I don't know if he's going to tell you how much it means to him, but I know it does. And our whole team explodes not just because we win and not just how we win, but the fact that Javy's right in the middle of it is so awesome for this team and for Javy himself."

Báez received a healthy dose of criticism during his first three seasons with the Tigers, and deservedly so. In the first three seasons of his six-year, $140 million contract, he slashed .221/.262/.347 while averaging 11 home runs and 54 RBI per year. He never wavered in his unselfishness, though, and now he's being rewarded.

"He's all in," Hinch said. "We ask our guys to be all in. And here's a guy who has been through a lot in his time here... He continues to battle, continues to fight and continues to try learning a new position, abbreviated playing time at the beginning of the season to now every day, wearing him out. And he's all in. He's an incredible human and he's doing his part. He should get all the praise for how he's gone about it.”

There's still a lot of season left, but the turnaround that Báez has made up to this point has been nothing short of remarkable. He's hitting for average, he's hitting for power, and he's making Gold Glove-caliber plays in center field. Not to mention, he's leading by example and being the veteran superstar the Tigers need him to be.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.