3 right-handed hitters in the minors who could help the Cardinals

OF Jordan Walker

John Mozeliak seems perfectly fine leaving Jordan Walker in Memphis until he meets all of the marks of the front office. After Michael Siani went down, Walker became a likely candidate to be promoted. Lars Nootbaar and Tommy Pham could cover center field in the interim, and promoting Walker would surely give the team an offensive boost.

Instead, defensive whiz Victor Scott II was called up. Walker still remains a prime candidate to return to St. Louis this year, especially if the team wants to solve their issues against left-handed pitchers. Walker actually hit better against right-handed pitchers in 2023, but his .683 OPS against left-handed pitchers surpasses the team's current OPS against southpaws. He holds a .666 OPS against left-handed pitchers in Memphis this year.

Should Walker be promoted, a reciprocal move would have to be made; someone would have to be demoted. Victor Scott II seems like he's staying barring a massive offensive collapse by the rookie. It's possible the team demotes Nolan Gorman. If that's the case, Brendan Donovan can move to second base permanently to open up an outfield spot for Walker.

Promoting Jordan Walker would be due to his recent surge. He's had an excellent August, and bringing him back to the majors could give him even more confidence. While there are still clear hurdles Walker needs to clear before being promoted again, he would still help the offense hit against left-handed pitchers. His promotion would create a bit of a logjam in the outfield, but demotions can be made to clear up space for the 22-year-old.

INF Thomas Saggese

There is one major factor that plays against Thomas Saggese when considering him for a call-up this year: he's not on the 40-man roster. That's not a huge problem, as the Cardinals have some players who could be removed pretty easily, but it is a hurdle nonetheless.

Saggese was an offensive monster last year in Double-A. He's struggled more on the offensive side of the ball this year, as he has just an 82 wRC+ in Triple-A Memphis thus far. The ability to be a plus player on the offensive side is absolutely present in Saggese still. He has a .254/.313/.434 slash line against left-handed pitchers this year for a .747 OPS.

While AAA numbers rarely transfer directly to the majors at a comparable rate, that OPS would rank 3rd among Cardinal hitters in the majors with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties. Don't expect to see an OPS in the mid-700s right when he is promoted, though. Given time, Saggese could replicate his minor-league success to the majors.

Saggese has a versatile defensive profile. He's played third base, shortstop, and second base in the minors this year, and he's most frequently been used at shortstop. His best fielding percentage is at second base, and Nolan Gorman could easily be supplanted by Saggese. Don't be alarmed; Thomas Saggese wouldn't replace Masyn Winn.

If Thomas Saggese were to be called up this year to help the Cardinals hit against left-handed pitchers, Nolan Gorman feels like the most likely candidate to be demoted. The two play a very similar position, and Gorman's valleys have been much lower than his peaks have been in height this year. A reset in Memphis could do Nolan Gorman some good to end the year.

1B/DH Luken Baker

For years, Luken Baker has done nothing but hit in Triple-A Memphis for the Redbirds. He had a 180 wRC+ last year, and he has a 121 wRC+ this year. He hit 33 home runs in 2023, and he's already hit 30 this year. He walks at an above-average clip while striking out at a bit of a below-average rate, and his slugging percentage was .720 last year. It sits at .546 this year. For the last two years, Baker has been Memphis's best hitter.

Yet he hasn't gotten a substantial run at the major league level despite already being 27 years old. The primary detractor from Baker's playtime in St. Louis has been Paul Goldschmidt, the veteran first baseman who has a chance at becoming a Hall of Famer. If Goldy weren't manning first base, Luken Baker would have already gotten his fair share of plate appearances there.

This year, in 111 at-bats against left-handed pitchers, Baker is slashing .279/.404/.694 for an OPS of 1.098! 12 of his 30 home runs have come against lefties despite him seeing a left-handed pitcher only 32% of the time. Should Baker be promoted, he would immediately make an impact against southpaws at the major league level.

The issue would be roster construction following Luken Baker's promotion. Goldschmidt has shown some life recently, and it's highly unlikely he's benched, especially against left-handed pitchers, a group he prefers hitting against. If Goldy stays, that gives the team three options at first base: Goldschmidt, Alec Burleson, and now Luken Baker. While Burly can play the corner outfield, having two other guys who can play first base and only DH limits roster flexibility.

Baker could be used solely off the bench, but then he isn't getting the necessary reps to stay fresh. Promoting Luken Baker would help the team against left-handed pitchers, but there isn't much space on the roster for a player who is as one-dimensional defensively as he is.