New Cardinals outfielder could provide a bitter look at Joshua Báez's fate

When a player is slugging his way through the minor leagues, baseball fans dream on what he could become for the big league club. For St. Louis Cardinals fans, the latest obsession down on the farm is Joshua Báez, who they are hoping will turn into an outfield cornerstone for the team over the next several seasons. Lofty comparisons dance in Cardinals' fans heads: He could break out like Jordan Walker! He could be the club's next 30-home run hitter! But in all reality, an average outcome for Báez is likely to resemble the career so far of the Cardinals' latest waiver claim.

Once upon a time, Everson Pereira was a highly touted prospect in the New York Yankees farm system. showing up as Baseball America's third-ranked Yankees prospect in 2019 and appearing on their top Yankees prospects list from 2019 through 2025. Pereira's raw power gave him a high ceiling, but his strikeout issues created substantial doubt that he'd ever approach it. In Pereira's past two seasons in Triple-A between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, he struck out nearly 30% of the time, and in his major league seasons with those teams, the rate climbed to an astronomical 38.6%.

Báez's strikeout rate in Triple-A this season is scarily similar to that of Pereira over the latter's minor league career. Báez is currently fanning 29.4% of the time in Memphis, and that number is almost certain to rise when he joins the major league squad. His 32 home runs have fans licking their lips, but the Cardinals brass isn't blinded by what Báez has done in the minors; they see Pereira's career .172 average and 37.1% strikeout rate and know there's a strong likelihood that Báez will put out an approximation of those numbers.

Pereira may be a "test case" for the Cardinals in their development of Báez

The Cardinals' new tendency in drafts and signings to go after high-upside talent suggests that President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom and company believe that their player development staff is among the best in the game at helping players reach the higher end of their potential. The Cardinals will look to tinker with Pereira's swing and see if they can make him playable at the highest level, as he has no minor league options remaining. If they're able to turn Pereira into a respectable player, they may have more confidence that they can help Báez succeed in the majors.

It's easy to believe that once Báez receives his call, potentially when rosters expand in September, he will push Pereira or fellow hard-hitting free agent signing Nelson Velázquez out of an outfield spot, but the Cardinals aren't going to give him the job simply because of his prospect pedigree the way some fans might be expecting. Pereira's past is a sobering reminder of the type of player that Báez has a real likelihood of becoming, and the Cardinals are rightfully waiting for when they believe Báez is properly seasoned in Memphis to let him loose on big-league pitching.

Fans are always hungry to see the next promising player get promoted to the parent club. This year, it happened with Jimmy Crooks, it happened with Blaze Jordan, and it's now happening with Báez. There's always the possibility that Báez will grab the bull by the horns and destroy major league pitching, but fans only need to look at Pereira, a one-time can't-miss prospect, to see the pitfalls awaiting this type of hitter.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow