Joshua Báez’s MLB Debut Gives Cardinals Fans a Reason to Believe

The vibes are high with the St. Louis Cardinals right now, to say the least.

St. Louis will go for its fourth straight series win on Sunday afternoon when it faces off against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. That's not the biggest story for the Cardinals right now, though. That is, of course, the performance of No. 3 overall prospect Joshua Báez in his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday.

Báez stepped up to the plate in the first inning and clubbed the first pitch he saw in the majors 449 feet to center field. Then, for good measure, he slugged two more home runs afterward and became the first player in big league history to hit three home runs in their MLB debut.

What A Special Day

Aug 15, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Joshua Baez (22) celebrates with first baseman Alec Burleson (41) after hitting a two-run home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

3 home runs in his first 3 Major League at-bats 😤

Did Joshua Báez put on the best MLB debut EVER?! pic.twitter.com/P43Qi4d4cn
— MLB (@MLB) August 15, 2026

Báez made. the case for a promotion over the last few months and he lived up to the hype on Saturday. It was a special day, to say the least.

The 23-year-old has been in the majors for a day and he has already hit the second-longest home run on the team this season, behind just Jordan Walker, per ESPN.

"Joshua Báez homers on the first pitch he sees in his Major League debut. He is the 11th player in Cardinals franchise history to hit a HR in first career AB, and the fourth visiting player at Wrigley Field to hit a HR in his first career AB. His HR was measured at 449 feet, only HR Derby champion Jordan Walker has hit a longer homer for the Cardinals this season."

Joshua Báez homers on the first pitch he sees in his Major League debut 👏

He is the 11th player in Cardinals franchise history to hit a HR in first career AB, and the fourth visiting player at Wrigley Field to hit a HR in his first career AB.

His HR was measured at 449 feet,… pic.twitter.com/EMxScJGATM
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) August 15, 2026

There's tangible excitement with the franchise right now and another thing that adds to this fact is that the Cardinals aren't out of it in the National League playoff race, by any means. Right now, the Cardinals are 3 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot. The Cardinals are one game above .500 at 61-60 and have over one month left to close the gap.

On Saturday, Báez looked like a 10-year MLB veteran, not a rookie in his first game. We're not going to see three home runs each day from the young slugger, but if he can play like he did down in Triple-A from here on out in the majors, he's going to help take the Cardinals' lineup to an even higher level.

Him, Walker, JJ Wetherholt, Alec Burleson and Iván Herrera certainly give St. Louis enough firepower to at least make things interesting down the stretch.

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