After Historical Start, Cardinals Rookie Looks to Cut Down on Whiffs

Growth, as St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol pointed out repeatedly over the final month of the 2026 season, can be measured in a variety of ways.

One way, of course, is the standings – an area where the Cardinals fell back a win from 2025 (78-84) to 2026 (77-85), one that was somewhat expected with the widespread youth on the roster and the club selling off veteran pitchers JoJo Romero and Dustin May for prospects at the MLB Trade Deadline.

Instead, the Cardinals tried to evaluate areas of growth in non-traditional ways in a non-traditional season in St. Louis.

Growth was having a defined core group of players – Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Ivan Herrera, Masyn Winn, Michael McGreevy, Kyle Leahy and Riley O’Brien – take major steps in their games and evolve into building blocks.

Growth was seeing Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, Quinn Mathews, Cooper Hjerpe and Nathan Church live up to the hype that followed them from the Minor Leagues and show signs they can be depended on going forward.

Growth was Andre Pallante and Gordon Graceffo shaking off the struggles of 2025 and showing the fortitude to change the trajectory of their careers.

“This is a really young group, but there’s been a lot of progress with so many of these guys,” Marmol said. “You can go up and down the lineup and you see growth from so many of our guys. Then, go to the rotation and what McGreevy, Pallante and Leahy did this season, and the bullpen as well. Our staff has really enjoyed pouring into that group. They are hungry for information and they want to be coaches, so that’s made it a lot of fun.”

However, as president of baseball operation Chaim Bloom reminds, the Cardinals still have major gulfs between them and MLB’s top teams. The National League champion Brewers, after all, finished 26 games ahead of St. Louis and battered the Cards in 11 of 13 head-to-head meetings. Much more growth is needed for the Cards to better navigate the difference the rebuilding and contending.

With growth being the focus, let’s look back at the performances by individual players in the 2026 season and how they will figure into the Cards’ plans going forward in 2027 and beyond:

Player name: Joshua Baez

Age: 23

How acquired: Selected by the Cardinals with the No. 54 pick in the 2021 MLB Draft; signed for $2.25 million

2026 statistics: (With Cardinals) 29 games, .230/.278/.510/.788, 18 runs, 27 hits, seven doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 33 strikeouts, four walks, two stolen bases in three tries. (At Triple-A Memphis) 103 games, .256/.328/.573/.901, 78 runs, 120 hits, 22 doubles, three triples, 34 home runs, 90 RBI, 136 strikeouts, 37 walks, 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

Key numbers: The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Baez did something no other player in the history of the game has done when he drilled three homers in his first three MLB at bats at Wrigley Field on Aug. 15. Prior to that, Baez smashed 34 homers in 103 games for Triple-A Memphis.

Looking back to 2026: Even if he goes on to become one of the game’s best sluggers, Baez will likely be known forever for his three long balls in three at bats during his MLB debut against the rival Cubs. Baez wasted no time showing off his enormous potential by blasting his first homer to center, hitting a 3-2 into the bleachers in left in his second at bat and homering the other way on a pitch just off the plate in his third at bat. Baez hit just four homers over his next 28 games, but he did continue to produce triple-digit exit velocities when he made contact. Because he struck out 33 times and walked just four times, the Cardinals were trying to get Baez to not swing for the fences quite as often and be more selective with the pitches that he offers at during at bats. His on-base percentage was a woeful .278, and the Cardinals would like to see it more in line with the .328 he produced while at Triple-A Memphis. He missed the final two weeks of the season with a strained lat, but he has already started his offseason program while working out primarily in Jupiter, Fla.  

Looking forward to 2027: Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol didn’t outright anoint Baez as the team’s starting left fielder, but he did say that the powerful rookie will be given every chance in Spring Training to prove that he is ready to be an everyday player for the club. Baez certainly knows what it is like to struggle after seeing his 2022 season get wiped out because of wrist surgery, and him unable to find his way in 2023 and ’24 while stuck in Class A. However, his game took off in 2025 when he started at High-A Peoria, and he later led Springfield to the Texas League title in 2025. His 34 homers at Triple-A Memphis was a continuation of that momentum in 2026 and it ended in St. Louis. The Cardinals are hopeful that he can cut down on his strikeouts and hit with enough power and consistency to be their starting left fielder for years to come.  

Denton’s analysis: Baez’s three-homer debut might have been the biggest moment of the MLB season in 2026. What he did is likely to never be duplicated again in the decades to come. All that attention and hype might have impacted the 23-year-old slugger over the first few weeks of his first stretch of games in the big leagues. Because he ended the season on the Injured List, Baez still has his rookie eligibility for the 2027 season. Nothing would make the Cardinals happier next season than if catcher Leo Bernal and Baez are battling it out for Rookie of the Year honors in the National League. Built much like Cardinals’ right fielder Jordan Walker, Baez has the natural power to hit tape-measure home runs. However, his ability to lay off bad pitches and adjust his swing with two strikes will determine just how successful he is in 2027.