Cardinals promotion of Joshua Baez gives fans powerful look into club's future

The St. Louis Cardinals are promoting their #3 prospect, Joshua Báez. He’ll make his MLB debut against the arch-rival Chicago Cubs. 

Báez, 23, broke out last season. He launched 20 home runs, stole 54 bases, and registered an OPS of .884. The beginning of his professional career was rocky to say the least, but after a few swing adjustments and more playing time, he found his footing. 

This season, he’s proven his breakout was no hoax. In 103 Triple-A contests, the burly right-handed slugger has a slash line of .256/.328/.573 and an OPS of .901. 

Most of his production comes from home runs and pure slugging. His power tool is undeniable, but it’s accompanied by swing-and-miss concerns that have prolonged his minor league endeavors. 

Analysts and fans have pinpointed strikeouts as a potential drawback of Báez garnering MLB reps–citing Nolan Gorman’s career trajectory as tangible evidence. Gorman came up, found instant success, but never quite punched back when the league adjusted–rather, he punched out, a lot. 

Báez will definitely have to soften his strikeout curve to become an everyday big leaguer, as his current 29.5% will become a pitcher’s best friend. 

However, this cup of coffee isn’t meant to inject a playoff contender with immediate production; it serves as a definitive development moment for Báez’s career and gives him and the organization a baseline for what he needs to work on. 

That being said, how does he actually fit into the roster? And what can fans expect from him down the stretch? 

How will Joshua Báez fit into the Cardinals' roster? 

Báez will likely earn a majority of his playing time in center field, but there’s also a possibility that he becomes a regular option at DH. 

Not too long ago, catcher Jimmy Crooks received tons of opportunity to prove himself. After a solid series in The Bronx, the rookie found himself batting much higher in the order and getting a lot more reps behind the dish. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t do much with those reps, and he could be phased out with the Báez introduction. 

How, you ask? The Cardinals have made it clear: they want Iván Herrera to catch. If they didn’t, he would’ve been moved a LONG time ago. 

He still hasn’t thrown out a baserunner all season–yet, he still commands legitimate innings at the catcher position. 

There is a chance that St. Louis uses DH to keep Báez in the lineup, without risking injury by trotting him out in center field every day. 

There has also been speculation about a potential platoon between Báez and Nathan Church, which makes sense–putting both rookies in positions to succeed. 

Wherever he fits in, Báez will bring a new kind of power to St. Louis. The kind that keeps the lights on. The same kind fans got so used to with Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and before that, Albert Pujols and Jimmy Edmonds. 

Keep your eyes peeled in the stands; there are about to be a LOT more flying objects exiting the field. 

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