Chicago Cubs superstar Javier Baez recently revealed that all of the fame unfortunately took some fun out of the game for him.
Whenever Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez is on the field, the dude looks like he’s having the time of his life. He makes insane plays at shortstop and the sends balls to the moon when he’s at the dish. What could be better?
Well, Baez is also incredibly humble. He recently revealed, though, that all of the fame that came with his great play got to his head a little bit and it took away from his love for baseball. You absolutely hate seeing this from one of the most outgoing guys in the sport.
Javier Baez surprisingly admitted he’s lost a little bit of love for the game of baseball
After helping the Cubs win the World Series in 2016, Baez’s popularity reached a whole new level. He dominated television screens and was all over websites and magazines. That changed his perspective a bit, he said.
“I wouldn’t say there was pressure, but it was the way I got attention for other stuff than baseball,” Baez told Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It kind of pulled me away from everything, even from my family. My family and my friends.
“I was grateful to be recognized by all these people, but people weren’t looking at me the way I wanted them to. At the end of the day, I’m a baseball player. That’s what I want to be recognized as.”
Clearly, Baez loved the attention he was getting, but he wanted to also take a step back and remember what he’s most passionate about. That of course is playing baseball and doing things the right way when he’s in a Chicago uniform so young players out there can look up to him.
Again, Baez is a humble fella and it took some self-realization to not let all the success go to his head. If anything, this likely makes Cubs fans love him even more.