Joshua Baez

There aren't that many prospects who have a realistic chance of hitting 30 homers and stealing 30 bases in the same big-league season, and Baez is one of those select few. He received a $2.25 million bonus in the 2021 draft out of high school because of his massive power potential and long-term upside. A 6-foot-3, 220-pound brick house with the speed to patrol center field and the arm for right field, Baez is still dripping with fantasy-relevant tools, but massive strikeout issues to begin his career led to him being dropped in most dynasty leagues at some point before 2025. Baez was demoted to Single-A and placed on the Development List on July 30, 2024. He returned with a reworked swing a few weeks later and logged a 181 wRC+ in 15 games to close 2024. Baez dominated (152 wRC+) in a brief 38-game run at High-A to open 2025 and then fully broke out in 79 games at Double-A. All told, Baez slashed .287/.384/.500 with 20 homers, 54 steals, an 11.8 percent walk rate and a 20.6 percent strikeout rate. He looks more like a power hitter than a speedster, but he's spoken about how much he likes stealing bases, and he was successful on 85.7 percent of his attempts in 2025. Baez was added to the 40-man roster this offseason and is likely the Cardinals' right fielder of the future. He could be up early in 2026 if he handles Triple-A the way he did Double-A. Read Past Outlooks