Javy Báez Generating Much More Contact Despite Middling Results

Javy Báez’s offense has been league average over the last month (99 wRC+), causing many to worry about what’s wrong with him. But in an unexpected twist, he’s actually making noticeably more contact during that stretch.

Javy’s contact in his last 103 plate appearances is up to 76.8%, nearly 12 percentage points higher than his prior rate and half a point above the MLB average. That’s right: Javy has been making more contact over the last month than most MLB hitters, which hasn’t typically been true of his game.

That obviously hasn’t translated to better run production, though, as he has batted .268 with four homers, a .237 ISO, and a .327 wOBA. What’s more, his expected wOBA — or what his…