Cardinals' Joshua Báez Could Be Outfield Solution St. Louis Needs

There are more prospects to keep an eye on in camp for St. Louis Cardinals fans than just No. 1 prospect JJ Wetherholt.

Now, of course, he's the team's top prospect for a reason. But at this point it would be a shock if he didn't make the big league club. There are other guys to watch over the next few weeks who don't exactly have an inside track to Opening Day, like No. 4 prospect Joshua Báez.

He's someone who can play all over the outfield and has been tearing the cover off the ball in camp. Through 10 games, he slashed .333/.417/.762 with three homers and five RBIs. The hype is building, but his goals are much more than just making the team, as seen in a clip shared to X by FOX2now's Joey Schneider.

The Cardinals prospect has high hopes

Mar 7, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Joshua Baez (22) rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

"Expectations are high are high," Báez said. "My goal is to be a big league 30-30 guy. ... Just getting the opportunity to come every single day even if you fail [or] have success, you have another chance. And then just that grind of like nothing is guaranteed. You take 300 swings in the cage to maybe swing two or three times on the field. You have to try to be perfect and it keeps you humble and it keeps you on kind of a work ethic trying to be perfect just because out there things are really hard. I love the competition and the grind."

Joshua Baez: "Expectations are high. My goal is to be a big-league 30-30 [HR-SB] guy."

The #STLCards' fast-rising outfield prospect adds, his favorite thing about baseball is, "Getting an opportunity to come every single day. ... I just love the competition and the grind." pic.twitter.com/pKUb9XNypM
— Joey Schneider (@joeyschneider95) March 7, 2026

Báez is someone who has gotten a lot of buzz in camp. So much so that Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch brought up the idea of Báez potentially making the jump to the big leagues to help the club fill in for Lars Nootbaar in left field to kick off the season. Nootbaar is up in the air and the Cardinals could use a right-handed power bat. Báez fits that description, although that doesn't mean he will break camp with the club. While this is the case, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat pointed out on X that Báez's start in left field on Monday was his first in camp.

"Josh Báez's start in left today is his first there this spring," Jones wrote. "It shifts Chase Davis, who has started there regularly, to right, and it comes just days after they passed on a chance to see him there, opting for Miguel Ugueto instead."

Josh Baez’s start in left today is his first there this spring. It shifts Chase Davis, who has started there regularly, to right, and it comes just days after they passed on a chance to see him there, opting for Miguel Ugueto instead. #noticing
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) March 9, 2026

If Báez continues to play as well as he has in camp, maybe he'll have an opportunity early in 2026 to start to try to reach his lofty big league goals.