Javier Báez becomes latest Cub to bare it all for ESPN's Body Issue

The Chicago Cubs have only gotten more bold since their World Series championship. Some players celebrated the franchise’s first title in 108 years by taking music lessons. Others capitalized on their new-found celebrity and nearly won “Dancing with the Stars.”

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But Javier Báez took the biggest risk of all. He celebrated the Cubs’ World Series by getting nude for ESPN the Magazine’s upcoming Body Issue.

This should shock no one, but Javier Báez appears to be in great shape.

That’s not really a big surprise. Báez is shown exceptional reflexes while making great defensive plays. He’s put those same skills on display while applying unbelievable tags at second base. He also has immense power. You need to have a pretty aggressive workout program to accomplish all those things.

Báez is far from the first baseball player to appear in the magazine. Bryce Harper, Matt Harvey and Prince Fielder have all been featured in past issues. Jake Arrieta, Báez’s teammate, was one of the 18 athletes featured in 2016.

The one thing that separates Báez’s photo from the rest (Fielder’s is definitely worth re-visiting) is that it was shot using an iPhone. Nina Mandell of USA Today’s For The Win sat down with photographer Dylan Coulter to discuss how he managed to pull that off.

This year’s Body Issue will feature 23 athletes and be available for purchase July 7, according to For The Win.

While we applaud Báez for having the courage to get naked and appear in the magazine, it will just add more fuel to the fire for the critics saying the Cubs are getting exposed this season.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik