Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals 28-Year-Old Slugger 'Looks Ideal' For Important Role

The Cardinals have a lot of talent despite the negative perception
Patrick McAvoy|
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2018; Atlanta, GA, USA; Detailed view of a St. Louis Cardinals hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

Although the St. Louis Cardinals didn't do as much as expected throughout the offseason, there still are reasons to have hope about the club heading into the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

Opening Day will be here on March 27th and the Cardinals still have the vast majority of the talent the team had last year when they finished in second place in the National League Central and were above .500.

The Cardinals have the majority of their core together, including Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, Masyn Winn, and Lars Nootbaar among others. There's a lot of talent with the Cardinals and there could be some more coming up from the minors.

The Athletic's Katie Woo took a look at the team's roster with Opening Day approaching and shared that slugger Luken Baker "looks ideal" for a bench role.

"The Cardinals also seek to keep a right-handed bat to round out the reserves," Woo said. "That spot looks ideal for Luken Baker, who has clubbed three homers this spring. St. Louis lacked a right-handed hitter off the bench for most of last season, which left options lacking for (Oli Marmol) in the later innings of games. Baker, a designated hitter and first baseman, is blocked at both positions. But the Cardinals believe he has value as a power bat and think he can thrive in a pinch-hit role, with Burleson serving in the same capacity from the left side on days he does not start at DH."

This may not sound huge, but it should help the Cardinals' offense if it happens. Baker has been one of the best sluggers in the minor leagues over the last four years. He clubbed 32 home runs in 2024, 33 home runs in 2023, 21 home runs in 2022, and 26 home runs in 2021.

If Baker is given any sort of opportunity in the majors in 2025, that would be great.

More MLB: Cardinals 25-Year-Old Making Case For Surprising Role

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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