Michel Baez

Michel Baez

28-Year-Old PitcherP
 Free Agent  
Free Agent
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Michel Baez in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Released by the Padres in December of 2023.
Cut loose by Friars
PFree Agent  
December 23, 2023
The Padres released Baez on Monday.
ANALYSIS
Baez signed out of Cuba for $3 million in December 2016 and quickly became a prominent prospect in the San Diego system, but his career has been sidetracked by injury issues and also control problems. The 6-foot-8 right-hander spent most of 2023 split between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, collecting a 7.18 ERA and 28:30 K:BB over 36.1 frames between the two stops. He'll turn 28 years old in January.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-100%
BAA vs LHP
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
2022
 
 
-100%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Since 2022vs Right .200 5 2 0 1 0 0 0
2024vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Left .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right .200 5 2 0 1 0 0 0
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Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
No Stats
2024
No Stats
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 0.00 0.50 2.0 0 0 0 9.0 0.0 0.0
Since 2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Home 0.00 0.50 2.0 0 0 0 9.0 0.0 0.0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
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Baez has a good fastball and an even better changeup, but even so there does not appear to be a path to him becoming a major-league starting pitcher. He has struggled with back and shoulder issues throughout the minors, and also lacks a quality breaking pitch for facing big-league hitters. There are certainly pitchers in the big leagues who have made it work with just two pitches, but San Diego took the repertoire concerns along with the durability issues and decided the bullpen would be the best place for him. We've seen just 34 innings out of him at the big-league level the past two seasons, with Baez mainly working in lower-leverage situations in a crowded bullpen. That is unlikely to change in 2021, so expect more of the same for him. If he could find a serviceable third pitch -- a cutter perhaps -- things could get interesting.
Baez is a 6-foot-8, hard-throwing reliever who missed a lot of bats in his quick climb through the minor leagues, striking out 240 hitters in 195.2 innings of work. He was having a solid season at Double-A San Antonio after a rough 2018, so the Padres jumped him over El Paso to see what he could do at the big-league level. He had a decent debut, showcasing a fastball with velocity and spin both in the top 25th percentile that batters hit .190 against at the highest level. His preferred secondary pitch is a changeup that has a 16% swinging-strike rate. Both offerings had positive run values in 2019, but the Padres' bullpen is rather crowded for 2020 now that the club has added Drew Pomeranz to the late innings. Baez would be best served going to the minors to gain experience in high leverage situations because the club has a loaded bullpen and he would likely be limited to low leverage work initially.
This wasn't the first time a giant pitching prospect (Baez is 6-foot-8, 220 pounds) lost his command and failed to live up to expectations, and it won't be the last. One aspect of his profile that should have raised more skepticism last offseason was that he was entering his age-22 season and did not possess a plus secondary pitch -- his slider and changeup are solid, but neither are elite putaway weapons. Baez relies on his fastball, which is an overpowering mid-90s monster, thanks to excellent extension, when he is at his best. However, that pitch was sometimes sitting in the low-90s last year and he failed to command it with any consistency. Even in a down year, Baez climbed from High-A to Double-A, where he will likely return to start 2019. The Padres have a half dozen pitching prospects who are better than Baez, and considering his stuff could be dominant out of the bullpen, he may not have a long leash as a starter in the majors.
The Padres already made a massive international splash in the summer of 2016, so when they signed an unheralded 20-year-old righty out of Cuba that December, it flew completely under the radar. A year later and Baez is the top prospect from that historic international haul. He made his first professional start in the AZL and was then immediately sent up to Low-A. Baez stands an intimidating 6-foot-8, which allows him to get elite extension on an overpowering mid-90s fastball. He complements his heater with a hard slider and an above-average changeup. This advanced repertoire helped him post a ridiculous 32.9 K-BB percentage and an ERA that would have ranked second in the Midwest League had he qualified. The name of the game for Baez is consistency and control. If he displays both again in an assignment to High-A, he could move quickly to the upper levels of the minors. Building on the 63.2 innings he logged last year will be key. He has No. 2 starter upside and an elite late-inning reliever is his realistic floor.
More Fantasy News
Outrighted to Triple-A
PSan Diego Padres  
April 3, 2023
Baez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres on Monday.
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Designated for assignment
PSan Diego Padres  
March 30, 2023
Baez was designated for assignment by the Padres on Thursday.
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Optioned to minors
PSan Diego Padres  
March 10, 2023
Baez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso on Friday.
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Sent to Triple-A
PSan Diego Padres  
August 2, 2022
Baez was optioned to Triple-A El Paso ahead of Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader against Colorado.
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Joins big-league bullpen
PSan Diego Padres  
July 29, 2022
Baez was recalled from Triple-A El Paso on Friday.
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