The Dandy Dozen: Tony Baez

Tony Baez Kansas City Blues Age: 31 B/T: R/R Born: Calabozo, VE Position(s): 3B/1B/2B/OF/DH View Hardball Dynasty Profile

The Resume:
Tony Baez was signed to the largest international free agent contract of season 1. His $13 million bonus remained the 2nd city record until Alex Shibata signed for $14.9 million in season 3. Baez spent just 78 games in minors, debuting that same season with the Salem Grand Salamies. He spent his first 12 seasons with Salem before a trade to Kansas City prior to this season.

Baez appeared in the playoffs an amazing 11 consecutive years, missing for the first time in Season 12. In that time, he is 2nd all time in stolen bases (700) and runs scored (1639) and fourth all time in SB% (732/787) and 5th in hit by pitches (115). Baez's best year was season 6 when he hit .368 with 39 HR's, 145 RBI (all career highs) to go with 43 SB in 45 attempts and 146 runs scored. Baez has made the All-Star team 8 times (only Dick Caruso and Car Brooks have made more), and won 7 silver sluggers (3 in LF, 4 at 2B).

Baez has appeared in 93 post-season games, amassing a .319 career batting average with 15 HRs and 48 SBs in 272 at bats. Baez has made 4 trips to the World Series, winning once (season 3). In those 4 post-seasons, Baez has been at his best, collecting 70 hits in 206 at bats (.340) while clubbing 12 HR's, scoring 65 runs, and stealing 27 of 28 bases. In season 8, he stole 15 bases in the post season without being caught and in season 3 he hit .344 with 5 HR's in 61 AB in leading the Salamies to the title.

The Rest of The Story:
Baez's aunt, Joan Baez is a well-known folk singer. She's been linked to Bob Dylan, and has long supported human rights, the environment, and other causes through non-violent protest.

Tony, however, followed his father's political beliefs and is known around the league as a staunch conservative. Baez is no longer allowed in Venezuela after a publicized spat with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Chavez recently visited Libya to celebrate Moammar Khadafy's 40th year in power. Baez pledged never to play for the Venezuelan national team again, and drives a Chevy Volt, just to ensure that none of his wealth makes into Chavez bank account.


But the real heart of the argument stems back to Chavez' shots at Baez' beloved 2nd sport of golf. When Chavez threatened the Caracas Country Club, Baez took a stand, publicly defying the president for the first time. Their war of words has left bad blood on both sides, leading directly to the revocation of Baez citizenship. The U.S. is said to be considering making Baez a citizen in retaliation.

Playoff Preview (Salem)

Salem Grand Salamies (AL West Champs)
Salem won it's 10th consecutive AL WEst title despite a 10 game drop-off from last season's win total.

Hitting:
Salem may be the least HR-defendant AL playoff team. That's not to say they can't hit the big fly, three Salamies had 30+ and 10 finished in double figures. Tony Baez is a 4-tool talent that hit 31 HRs, stole 82 (in 89 attempts) bases and hit .322 while playing a fine 2B. Keeping him off the bases is key to stopping this balanced attack.

Team BA: .316
Team HR: 254
Team SB: 189

Pitching:
Doc Belle posted a 17-7 mark with a 4.99 ERA in the difficult AL. Juan Velazquez and Greg Jameson are next in the rotation line and Carl Brooks is one of 2nd City's all-time great closers.

Team ERA: 5.59
Team SV: 49-68
Team HR Allow: 252

World Series Preview

Salem and San Juan prepare to square off in the World Series VIII. The teams present contrasting styles which could make for a fascinating Series.

San Juan Crownrificos
Strengths: The Rificos are built on pitching and they haven't disappointed with a 3.87 team ERA that was good for 3rd in the league behind Las Vegas and Sioux Falls. The staff has taken it to an even higher level in the playoffs, posting a 2.42 ERA and converting all 5 save opportunities. In the regular season, the staff led the league in K's and was near the top in fewest BB allowed. Lenny Ohman is 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in the post-season and the bullpen has been untouchable.

Weakness: The team defense is pathetic. During the season, no team made fewer plus plays (5) and only 4 had more minus plays (54). They've picked it up in the post-season though, making just 3 errors while turning in 3 web gems. They're hitting just .245 as a team in the post-season, relying on the long-ball for scoring. Star SS Dan Garcia is hitting just .241 in the playoffs.

Intangibles: They've played 14 games in the post-season, 8 more than Salem. They've won 2 league titles, but have lost in the division series in 5 consecutive years coming into this season.

Salem Grand Salamies
Strengths: The Salamies sport a high-powered offense that displays both speed and power on a regular basis. They're hitting .305 as a team in the post-season. Their team ERA of 5.06 in the regular season isn't bad in a league full of tiny ballparks and bad defense. Can it hold up against the Crownrificos? 87-base stealer Tony Baez is 8-8 in the post-season.

Weakness: The team defense is not good and it's getting worse. They've made 6 errors in 8 post-season games. Is the staff up to the challenge?

Intangibles: They've lost just once in the post season (7-1) and bring a well rested team to the series. Juan Velasquez has been great at the top of the rotation, but #2 starter Greg Jameson has been hit hard in the post-season. Will 3 games without a DH hurt this powerful lineup?