Cardinals outfielders not named Jordan Walker have a meager .212/.257/.311 slash line across 216 plate appearances this season. If the club desires reinforcements, it only has to look to Triple-A Memphis, where one of its best prospects is on pace for another big year.
Joshua Báez, St. Louis' No. 4 prospect and No. 76 in MLB, hit a towering fly ball out to right-center Saturday at Norfolk's Harbor Park for his sixth home run of the season. The dinger -- Báez's third in four games -- came off of Orioles lefty farmhand Cade Povich. It was Báez's third homer in 19 at-bats against left-handed pitching this year, giving the righty a .737 slugging percentage against southpaws.
That prodigious power is one of Báez's top traits. This year, he has a 17.0 barrel rate, which would rank 24th among 279 qualified hitters entering Sunday. He couples that pop with surprisingly potent baserunning -- something you may not expect from a man with a 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame.
Last season, Báez bopped 20 homers and stole 54 bases in 117 games across Double-A and Triple-A. He and top overall prospect (and current Pirates shortstop) Konnor Griffin were the only Minor Leaguers to go 20-50 in 2025. With five steals already in '26, Báez is poised to put up another impressive stat line.
One thing the 22-year-old outfielder needs to improve is his contact skills. He may hit the ball hard, but with a 31.3% strikeout rate and a 34.6% whiff rate this year, he needs to continue working on hitting it more often. However, given how loud his tools are -- we haven't even mentioned his 60-grade arm in the outfield -- and St. Louis' possible need in the outfield, it may not be long before Báez finds his way to the The Gateway City.