Who Is Joshua Baez, the Cardinals’ Rookie Who Made History?

On Saturday, August 25, Cardinals’ rookie Joshua Baez became the first-ever MLB player to homer in his first three plate appearances. The debut game against the Cubs in Wrigley field was monumental for both Baez and league history.

Who Is Baez?

The 23-year-old grew up in the Dominican Republic but spent his teenage years in Boston. There, he started playing 19U club baseball at 13. The Cardinals picked Baez at pick number 54 in the 2021 MLB draft. In high school, he was a two-way player who had great power and a fastball that reached up to 98 mph. 

After the Cardinals drafted him, Baez became a full-time outfielder and chose to focus mostly on hitting rather than pitching. Since then, Baez became one of the best sluggers in the minor leagues. When the Cardinals called him up, he led AAA in home runs.

Although Baez only averaged around .250 batting average in his six years in the minors, his power astonished people. Many people were not surprised to see Baez hit three home runs in his debut game, as he had already hit four in a single game earlier in this AAA season.

That combination earned Baez the No. 65 spot on MLB’s prospect list and the No. 3 spot among Cardinals’ prospects. The Cardinals are in search of their future right now as they were big sellers at the trade deadline. 

Baez has not recorded a hit in his 16 plate appearances since hitting three home runs, but Cardinals fans should not worry about the 23-year-old’s future. Instead, other fans are already starting to worry about his future.

One Piece of the Future

Baez is joining a team with a young, solid core in the Cardinals. 24-year-old All-Star and Home Run Derby champion Jordan Walker has been leading the Cardinals this year. In addition to Walker, 23-year-old rookie JJ Wetherholt is a top favorite for Rookie of the Year. 

This means that Baez will be joining teammates around his age and will be expected to grow along with them. If all goes right for the Cardinals, Baez, Walker and Wetherholt will worry MLB teams for a long time.