Former St. Louis Cardinals top prospect earns long-awaited promotion to Double-A

In 2022, the St. Louis Cardinals' top prospect list on MLB Pipeline was littered with current major leaguers Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Liberatore, Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, and Juan Yepez. Behind these major leaguers that year was outfield prospect Joshua Baez, just 19 at the time.

Baez was drafted in the second round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft with the 54th-overall pick. The Cardinals drafted well above slot value, but they trusted the prep player's pure physical abilities. At 6'4", Baez stands above his competition both literally and metaphorically. His exceptional raw power was on display quite often prior to the draft, and his exit velocities often dwarfed those of his contemporaries.

Baez's career started off rough, as he missed the first two-and-a-half months of his first season due to a wrist injury. Strikeouts were always a concern with Baez due to his propensity to swing heavily at pitches, and he proved those concerns correct early on.

Joshua posted strikeout rates well north of 30% across all levels in 2022 (36.1%), 2023 (34.1%), and 2024 (35.5%) while never really blowing the doors open with his power. As the calendar flipped to 2025, fear and worry began rising amongst the fan base and scouts that Baez would be another prospect to flop; MLB Pipeline removed Baez altogether from its organizational prospect rankings for the Cardinals.

However, something clicked for Baez this offseason, and he's turned his career around 180 degrees.

St. Louis Cardinals prospect Joshua Baez earns a promotion to Double-A Springfield.

Let's all remember that Baez was a high schooler when he was drafted in 2021, and he's yet to turn 22 — his birthday is on June 28th. Prospect development is rarely, if ever, linear. Patience is often required for prep players, particularly prep position players.

In his fifth year as a professional, Baez has seemingly unlocked something as a player. He's slashing .317/.404/.483 this year with four home runs, 24 runs batted in, and 32 runs scored. Oh, and he's also swiped 20 bags in only 38 games. Baez has also brought his strikeout rate down dramatically to just 21.4% while maintaining a 10.7% walk rate. His numbers at High-A Peoria are proof that he deserves a promotion.

Joshua Baez received just that on Thursday.

Baez was promoted to Double-A Springfield on Thursday, and he made his debut that night against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Baez started the game batting fifth and playing in right field. He continued his hot start to the year with a 2-4 night, including two singles, two stolen bases, and a run scored. He struck out twice on the night.

The bulk of Baez's time this year defensively has been spent in right field, but he's made four appearances in center and one in left. Baez has three assists in 234.1 innings in right field this year, and he has yet to commit an error.

Josh is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this upcoming winter, so his protection on the 40-man roster is inevitable once the season is over. Assuming he continues this type of production, the Cardinals will certainly protect him from being drafted.

Joshua Baez's development this year is great to see. The former top outfield prospect has had a rough go at professional baseball, but he's seemingly figured something out. In a year focused on the youth, Baez is taking advantage of every opportunity given to him. He's definitely a prospect to keep an eye on as the minor league season begins to heat up.