Joshua Báez Named Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Month

The Cardinal Chronicle
Joshua Báez Named Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Month
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Joshua Báez did not just have a good month for Memphis. He had the kind of month that changes the way a prospect is viewed.

The Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Month is Joshua Báez, the power-hitting outfielder for Triple-A Memphis, after a loud month at the plate that included a .274 batting average, a .980 OPS, 10 home runs, and 24 RBIs.

That is production. Plain and simple.

Báez has always had the raw tools. The arm, the athleticism, the power, the speed — those have never been in question. The question has always been whether the hit tool would come along enough for the rest of the package to play at the upper levels.

In May, it played.

The home run total jumps off the page, and it should. Ten home runs in a month is not a small hot streak. It is a statement. MLB Pipeline noted that Báez’s 10 May home runs tied for the most by any hitter at any level, including the major leagues.

But this was not just empty power. Báez drove in 24 runs, posted a .980 OPS, and gave Memphis a true middle-of-the-order presence. For a Cardinals organization that has been searching for impact bats, especially bats with real right-handed power, Báez has forced his name deeper into the conversation.

The old scouting report on Báez was easy enough to understand: big tools, big upside, big swing, big questions. That is often the case with young power hitters. But the more refined version showing up in Memphis is far more interesting. He is not just running into fastballs. He is doing damage, producing runs, and showing why the Cardinals protected him on the 40-man roster.

Báez is still only 22 years old, and there is no need to pretend he is a finished product. There will be strikeouts. There will be adjustments. Triple-A pitchers will continue to test him, and major league arms will be another test entirely.

But the month of May was a reminder of why the Cardinals have stayed patient.

Power is hard to find. Power with athleticism is harder to find. Power with athleticism from a player already on the 40-man roster and performing in Triple-A is the kind of thing that gets a front office’s attention.

Báez earned this honor the old-fashioned way — by producing.

For the month, he was the most dangerous bat in the Cardinals’ minor league system, and one of the hottest power bats in the game.

The Cardinal Chronicle Player of the Month: Joshua Báez.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
Preserving the Past, Promoting the Present, and Projecting the Future.

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Photo Credit: Joshua Baez | Memphis Redbirds | MiLB