Compared to Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, Fiorentina’s newest Uruguayan forward Jaime Baéz looks to be one of the most exciting South American talents this side of the Atlantic.
What You Need to Know
Full name: Jaime Baéz Stábile
Date of Birth: April 25, 1995 (20 years old)
Position: Centre forward
Nationality: Uruguayan
Current club: Fiorentina
Height: 1.78 meters
International caps: U-20 (21, 2 goals)
Who is Jaime Baéz?
Hailing from the capital city of Montevideo, Baéz started his professional career at Club Atlético Juventud de las Piedras in Uruguay’s Primera División. He marked his first full professional season in 2012/13 with a hearty 25 appearances, and was hailed as quick and powerful forward by publications such as Italy’s Football-Magazine.it. Scoring three goals in the Apertura stage of the competition, including two in a game winning performance against Liverpool Montevideo, Baéz’s unhoned but clearly present talent frequently took second stage to his blunders. Taking the time to refine his skills during the preseason, the then-18-year-old came back guns blazing in the Clausura section of the 2013/14 season. A contract dispute nearly ended the forward’s career with Juventud in the summer of 2013 but, luckily for the youngster’s development, was quickly hashed out. In his 27 total appearances that season, Baéz scored eight times, including seven in 13 Clausura games.
His rapid rise in stature amongst Uruguayan youngsters caught the attention of England’s Liverpool F.C., sparking the beginning of interest from foreign parties. Continuing his meteoric ascent as one of Uruguay’s brightest talents, Baéz started the 2014/15 season much like he ended the previous edition. Scoring five goals and assisting five more in 14 starts, the forward’s talent continued to attract more and more exotic suitors. Despite his magnificent 2014 calendar year (in which he posted up 12 goals and eight assists), he was sent to league rivals Defensor Sporting on loan for the Clausura portion of the season. He struggled to replicate his Juventud form with Defensor, contributing to just two goals in the rest of the campaign. At the conclusion of his temporary deal at Defensor, Baéz was ready to leave Juventud and Uruguay for greener pastures across the Atlantic.
Subject to interest from clubs such as long-time suitors Liverpool, Europa League winners Sevilla, and English giants Arsenal, Italian club Fiorentina eventually pipped their competitors to the prize, bringing Baéz to Florence at the end of August for a reported fee of €2.3 million. Since his move to Italy, Baéz has found himself training with the Viola Primavera side, scoring twice in four starts. He is yet to make his professional Serie A debut.
Baéz is also a veteran in Uruguay’s U-20 team. With over 20 matches under his belt for his nation’s youth side, the 20-year-old has plenty of experience on the international level. A member of the 2015 Under-20 World Cup side knocked out by Brazil in the round of 16, he took part in the U-20 South American Championship earlier the same year as well.
Uruguay’s footballer Jaime Baez (C) vies for the ball with Brazil’s Wallace during their South American U 20 football match at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, on January 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Miguel ROJO.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Baéz embodies many qualities of the stereotypical young South American forward. While he doesn’t bring anything spectacularly new or inventive with him, his skill set is well-rounded and suited for Fiorentina’s style of play. He has qualities of a winger, secondary striker, and centre forward, allowing him to be utilised all over the attacking side of the pitch. Deployed as a pure striker he could line himself up to score goals, or featured closer to the midfield he could morph to being the team’s attacking engine. Naturally, Baéz is also quick on his feet and good for a fancy flick to get around a defender. Not unique attributes by any means, but good to have for a player of his size and versatility. Speaking of size, Baéz, unlike many South American exports, is not small in stature. At 1.78 meters he is by no means a giant, but big enough to be able to challenge the majority of midfielders and forwards in the air. This makes him a useful tool for corners and adds an extra dimensional to his game, both defensive and offensive.
Baéz’s cookie-cutter traits, while not all detrimental, take away a certain unpredictability. Serie A defenders are accustomed to the style of Brazilian, Uruguayan, and Argentine forwards, meaning that Baéz will be forced to tweak his style if he intends to succeed in the league. Additionally, his raw nature represents a risk for Fiorentina, as right now most of his reputation is built on the player he could become rather than results. And while results can be quantified, potential cannot, meaning that he is a high-risk, potentially high-reward acquisition for Fiore. Another thing he has to improve on is consistency. While his 2014 calendar year yielded impressive returns, much of it was clustered around several three-four week periods. If Baéz intends to claim a Viola senior team spot at some point, he must learn how to maintain physical and mental form throughout a season, not just during occasional pockets of time.
2016 and Beyond
At the moment, it does not look like Baéz will have an in into the Fiorentina squad. With players like Khouma Babacar, Nikola Kalinic, Federico Bernardeschi, and Josip Ilicic all ahead of him in the pecking order, it will take a huge and lightning quick improvement for the new Uruguayan man to even grab a start this season. However, at only 20, he still has his entire career ahead of him. While players like Ilicic and Rossi approach their 30’s, Baéz will be steamrolling towards the prime of his career. A loan in the second half of the season to a small Serie A team or a promotion hopeful in Serie B could do him good, and with a little luck and a hearty amount of work 2016/17 might just usher in Uruguay’s next striking powerhouse onto the world stage.
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