Joshua Baez has the skillset to be the Cardinals version of Atlanta Braves superstar

Joshua Baez announced his presence to the St. Louis Cardinals and fans all around the game with a debut that has never been done before. His encore performance was what those who followed his rise up the majors expected, but the power hitter is in the majors to stay. After going hitless in game two of his career, Baez had another first as he led off for the first time in the series opener against the Reds.

Despite possessing the power of a middle-of-the-order bat, manager Oliver Marmol opted to give Baez his first taste of the leadoff spot with JJ Wetherholt grabbing a seat. It may look strange on paper to see a guy who led the minor leagues in homers leading off the game, but the chaos Baez can do as the first batter of the game could make it impossible for the opposing starter to settle in. This strategy, even if it happens few and far between, can make the Cardinals lineup look like the Atlanta Braves with MVP Ronald Acuna at the top of the lineup.

Joshua Baez can be the Cardinals' version of Ronald Acuna Jr.

There is no question that JJ Wetherholt is the leadoff man of the present and future. In the rare instances that the Rookie of the Year does get some time off, the Cardinals have worked through a couple different lead off hitters. In Wetherholt's absence, the Cardinals have used Masyn Winn, Lars Nootbaar, Bryan Torres, and Nathan Church at the top of the lineup. Noot is in Arizona and the other three have the makeup to be a bottom-third-of-the-order hitter rather than a table setter.

Wetherholt has hit first in all but 10 games this season, so there are only a few opportunities for a new leadoff hitter to make their mark and that is why Joshua Baez can be that fill-in guy. For about 20 games a year, having a player with historic power and the speed to match could wreak havoc on opposing teams when they think no JJ means a break in the lineup. In those games, Baez could be the Cardinals version of Ronald Acuna Jr., who takes his five-tool-skillset and turns into an MVP candidate (when healthy) at the top of the order.

In Acuna's MVP season, he hit .337 with 41 homers and 73 stolen bases while driving in 106 runs with the entirety of his year spent as the Braves' leadoff hitter. He also added an unreal 11% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate on his way to a 9.1 fWAR season and his first MVP award. For Acuna's career, injuries have brought his average season to 19 homers, 55 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and a .283 batting average. Baez has plenty of work to do on the batting average and contact, but he has shown the potential to reach similar production numbers that Acuna has.

In 2025, Baez had a massive turnaround and put up numbers that could have put him as an MVP candidate had he done is in the majors. In 117 games in the minors, Baez hit .287 with 20 homers and stole 54 bases while seeing time at all three outfield positions. The batting average took a hit in 2026 as he moved to Memphis, but the production remained. Prior to his callup, Baez was hitting .256 with 34 homers, 90 RBI, and 21 stolen bases through 103 games. The downside of all the home runs was that Baez is unable to showcase his baserunning, but the instant runs are a worthy trade-off.

With JJ Wetherholt locked into St. Louis and likely the leadoff spot for the next decade, the opportunity for Joshua Baez to reach Ronald Acuna Jr. levels may not arise. That means we will have to settle for 30-homer, 30-stolen-base potential from the middle of the lineup. I think we will all be okay with that.

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