MiLB Player of the Day: Joshua Báez, Memphis Redbirds

 
The Cardinal Chronicle
Minor League Player of the Day: Joshua Báez, Memphis Redbirds
St. Louis, MO
By Ray Mileur

Joshua Báez is The Cardinal Chronicle’s Minor League Player of the Day after putting together the best offensive night in the Cardinals’ system Tuesday.

Báez went 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and a run scored in Memphis’ 6-5 loss to Louisville in 11 innings. In a game where the Redbirds kept fighting back, Báez was at the center of nearly every answer.

He tied the game in the first inning with an RBI double, brought Memphis back within a run with another RBI double in the fifth, and then came through again in the 10th with a two-out infield single that tied the game and kept the Redbirds alive.

That is more than just a good box score. That is production in key spots.

Memphis did not get the win, but Báez gave the Redbirds a chance all night. Four hits, two extra-base hits, three runs driven in, and late-inning execution in Triple-A is the kind of performance that deserves attention.

José Suárez deserves strong mention after going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs in Peoria’s 11-1 win over Beloit, but Báez gets the nod for the complete offensive night and the pressure situations in which he delivered.

Old School Take

There are empty hits, and then there are hits that matter.

Báez had the latter Tuesday night. He drove in runs early, kept Memphis close in the middle innings, and delivered again when the game was on the line in extras. That is a hitter doing his job in every part of the game.

The Cardinal Chronicle, in association with Gateway Sports
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Photo Credit: Joshua Baez, Memphis Redbirds | MiLB