Ednel Javier "Javy" Báez (born December 1, 1992) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born in Puerto Rico, Báez attended high school in Jacksonville, Florida, and starred for his school's baseball team. The Cubs selected Báez with the ninth overall selection of the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on August 5, 2014.

He is the first player for the Cubs to steal home in a postseason game since Jimmy Slagle in 1907. On October 2016, Báez was named NLCS co-MVP alongside left-handed starter Jon Lester as the Chicago Cubs clinched their 2016 National League pennant.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Báez moved to Florida in 2005 along with his mother and siblings, three brothers and a sister. The move was so that his sister, Noely, could get medical treatment for her spina bifida condition. In Puerto Rico he and his two brothers, Gadiel and Rolando, became familiar with the sport through their father, Ángel Luis Baez who, before his death when Javier was ten, heavily influenced their life and was responsible for their interest in baseball. The brothers would later immortalize this interest by getting tattoos of Major League Baseball's logo, which symbolized that "baseball has been in [their] lives forever." Rolando was the first to become a professional baseball player, being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2002. As a middle school student, it took time for Javier to adapt because he was unable to fluently speak or understand English. Báez eventually learned the language through trial and error in a process that lasted for three years, memorizing words before knowing their actual meaning.

Báez played the last two years of his secondary education for Arlington Country Day School (ACD) in Jacksonville, Florida. His coach at ACD, Ron Dickerson, noted that initially scouts were not impressed by him, noting his talent, but not believing he could become a star. Dickerson emphasized that Báez's work ethic was responsible for positioning him as a real prospect. As a sophomore, he had a .463 batting average with 38 hits, of which nine were doubles and 13 were home runs. Making 82 plate appearances in 25 games, he also gathered 60 runs batted in (RBIs). By the time that his junior season was over, Báez was a highly rated Aflac All-American. In his senior season, he recorded 64 hits in 83 at-bats to gather an average of .771, which included 20 doubles and 22 home runs. In total, Báez recorded 52 RBIs in 30 games. During his time at ACD, he never played a position steadily. After working at second base, Báez was moved to shortstop once the team lost a player. Besides these positions, he also played as a center fielder and as a catcher.

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