Baez is finally finding his way at Potomac

Nationals Report: Minor league update

Date published: 6/29/2007

By TODD JACOBSON

BY TODD JACOBSON

It can be a long and winding road, the path from prospect to bust and back. And though it might've taken outfielder Edgardo Baez longer than most, the former fourth-round pick in 2003 seems to finally have put things together in his second stint with Single-A Potomac

"For me, he's been the biggest surprise," Potomac manager Randy Knorr said.

Baez, 21, is batting .295 with 47 RBIs, 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 67 games with Potomac. It's a change, to be sure, from Baez's forgettable stint in Potomac last year.

But the biggest change in Baez goes deeper than statistics, Knorr said.

"The difference has been maturity," Knorr said. "You know he's committed to getting better every single day he comes in here. Sometimes you tend to forget that he's just 21 years old and he's been growing up."

When he was drafted by the Nationals in 2003, Baez had plenty of talent. But he grew up in Bayamon, P.R., and the adjustment to life in America wasn't easy-- especially at the age of 17.

When he wasn't successful on the field, he put pressure on himself and struggled there, too.

After hitting .274 in 34 games with the Gulf Coast League Expos in 2003, Baez's career stalled in low Single-A Savannah.

Over the next three years, he made three stops with the lowest rung of the franchise's full-season squads, never hitting above .246 in his first two stints there.

The bottom came after he hit .103 in 20 games with Potomac last season, when he landed back in Savanah for a third time.

Only then did he start to turn things around.

In 94 games, he hit .279 with six homers and 44 RBIs. That catapulted him toward this season, where he's finally meshed his speed, strong outfield arm and power potential.

And even with the arrival of prospects Justin Maxwell, Mike Daniel and Chris Marrero from low Single-A Hagerstown, Baez won't lose any playing time.

"He's going to be my first outfielder," Knorr said. "He's earned it."

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Date published: 6/29/2007