Joshua Baez flashes yet another exciting tool for Cardinals fans to dream on

St. Louis Cardinals fans can't stop talking about Joshua Baez's home run parade, and rightfully so, but don't let that distract you from how many other tools he has in his game.

On Saturday night, Baez flashed his 60-grade arm while manning left field, unleashing a laser reminiscent of the ones that come off his bat to nail the runner at home. While Baez can handle center field, his best position defensively is in one of the corners, where his athleticism plays up, and his arm can do damage.

In the near future, we are going to see Baez in left field and Jordan Walker in right field on any given day in St. Louis, making life extremely hard on opposing players looking to swipe an extra base.

According to Baseball America, Baez pairs that 60-grade arm and 65-grade power with a 60-grade speed tool, one that helps Baez patrol the outfield grass and swipe bases at a high rate. Just this season, Baez already has 12 stolen bases in 15 attempts with three triples, and last season, Baez managed to steal 54 bases between High-A and Double-A.

The power is always going to be what Baez is known for, but it's these other tools that have the potential to launch him into true stardom, and it won't be long before we see Baez making his Major League debut.

Joshua Baez is so close to making his MLB debut with the Cardinals

I'm not sure if even the Cardinals truly know yet when the right timing will be for Baez to make his MLB debut, but rest assured, it's happening this season. With Baez already on the Cardinals' 40-man roster and doing some special things at the plate for Memphis, they'll want to give him a shot this season before they head into a rather uncertain offseason with CBA negotiations.

The Cardinals may choose to be extra patient with prospects this year not on their 40-man roster, since adding them to the mix would mean they have to protect their spot, and they cannot play in minor league games or train with the organization next season during a potential lockout. But since Baez is already on the 40-man, they might as well see what he can do.

Baez's numbers are already well deserving of a call-up. He leads the International League in home runs (24), second in RBI (61), third in SLG (.615), fifth in OPS (.957), and top ten in triples and hits. He's really heated up as of late, as over the last 30 days, Baez has 13 home runs and a 1.201 OPS.

So why hasn't Baez been called up yet? Well...he has struck out the second most times in the International League this season (89), and those swing-and-miss issues need to be cleaned up before he's exploited by Major League pitching.

Baez has cut his strikeout percentage down to below 29.9%, and the more he gets below that 30% mark, the better for his chances of getting called up. Baez also needs to improve his chase rate (36.3%), whiff rate (34.3%), zone contact rate (75.6%), and walk rate (7.1%), each of which ranks in the bottom 8% of hitters at the Triple-A level this season.

Now, on the very, very bright side, Baez ranks in the 90th percentile or better in pretty much every batted ball metric at the Triple-A level, including ranking in the 98th percentile or better in average EV (93.2 MPH), 90th% EV (108.6 MPH), barrel rate (20.5%), and hard-hit rate (57.9%). There is no question about Baez's ability to do damage, but the Cardinals know that if he can't be more disciplined at the plate or whiffs at too many pitches in the zone, he'll be sent down on strikes far too often at the Major League level.

Just look at Nolan Gorman, who debuted in St. Louis with a similar offensive profile, but his swing and miss issues have just gotten worse since he's been a Major Leaguer, and his power now rarely shows up as well.

No one is expecting that outcome for Baez, but rushing him to St. Louis could have negative effects on his development. The Cardinals are taking their time with Baez, but whether it is days, weeks, or months, he'll be up and roaming in the St. Louis outfield very, very soon.

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