What a difference a year makes. At the start of 2025, outfielder Joshua Baez was hanging on by a thread to several St. Louis Cardinals top propsects lists. MLB Pipeline ranked him 30th in its top 30 list, and he had fallen off of Baseball America's list entirely. Through July 30 of that season, he was hitting .225 with 97 strikeouts in 227 at-bats with the High-A Peoria Chiefs. The Cardinals sent him down to Low-A Palm Beach, and his baseball career appeared to be on its last legs.
But in 2025, Baez has transformed himself into a different player.