6 players the Cardinals are holding back this year

Luken Baker

First baseman and designated hitter Luken Baker was the player with the cloudiest fit on the 2025 Cardinal team. Early in the offseason, there were rumbles that Baker was fielding offers from international teams, but a country was never even reported, and that was the last we heard on that rumor front. Before spring, I wrote that Baker was on the outside looking in and, if he did not make the Opening Day roster, he needed to be traded elsewhere for both the Cardinals' and the player's sake. Then Spring Training happened, and he hit .278 with four homers, and I changed my tune to saying that he needed a real look as the regular DH with Burleson's power outage a concern.

When the Cardinals announced their initial 26-man roster, seeing Baker included on the list was exciting and interesting at the same time as Victor Scott II played himself into the starting center fielder role. The Cardinals' offense had been sapped of true raw power for the past couple of seasons, and the power tool is Baker's biggest strength, as evidenced by his back-to-back 30-homer seasons his past two seasons in Memphis. His spectacular 2023 season in Triple-A saw him hit .334 with 33 homers and 98 RBIs despite only playing in 84 games in the minors that season. That strong performance created the first major league call-up for Baker in a lost season for the big league club, but even though they were out of the playoff race, he still only saw time in 33 games and struggled to a .209 batting average with only two home runs.

2024 brought more of Baker's power to Memphis, hitting 32 homers but struggling with his batting average, dropping all the way down to .231, but he still drew 67 walks in 108 games. Baker received another couple of stints with St. Louis, totaling 21 games but only 40 at-bats, as he was mostly used as a late-game offensive substitution, a tough role for anyone, let alone a 27-year-old with minimal major league experience.

Despite making the Opening Day roster out of spring this year, Baker has played in 15 games but only received a total of 28 at-bats, again mostly as a pinch hitter since he is on the short side of the crowded DH platoon with Burleson, Gorman, and Contreras all getting time as a hitter. A platoon role for Baker never really made much sense, as he has been able to hit with power against all pitchers, but the commitment again to Burleson getting everyday at-bats is limiting opportunities for Baker to get regular at-bats. When he does get his opportunity against lefties, he has made it work in his 23 at-bats, hitting .304 with two doubles and five walks, good for an .820 OPS which is second on the team to Nolan Arenado with players who have at least 20 at-bats against lefties.

Unlike the others listed, I am not sure how to best get Baker his opportunity in St. Louis. He is playing the season as a defensively limited 28-year-old who has a total of 154 major league at-bats. While he definitely has not received a runway like other players, his playing time should be a lower priority than those like Saggese, Gorman, and Walker. Like the hitters before him, Burleson's run at DH is limiting the offense and the opportunities for others to get at-bats in St. Louis.