The St. Louis Cardinals have spent this season turning the script upside down.
After moving on from plenty of quality players in the offseason and then again at the trade deadline, St. Louis looked ready to lean fully into a rebuild. Instead, the club has stayed surprisingly competitive, even as it stuck to its original plan and sold at the deadline with player development still front and center.
That approach has opened the door for young talent, and the rookies have answered in a big way. Leo Bernal and Blaze Jordan each made immediate noise by driving in a run in their debuts, but the real head-turners have been Joshua Báez and JJ Wetherholt.
MLB.com's Sarah Langs highlighted just how unusual those first impressions were on Saturday. "Hitters making their debuts have been more productive this year than in any other year by multiple measures," MLB.com's Sarah Langs wrote on Saturday.
"It’s the year of the hard-hitting debut. Báez became the first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his MLB debut.
There have been more than 23,000 players in MLB history, for context, and none had done this until Báez. The previous earliest into a career that a player recorded a three-homer game was in his 10th game, per Elias.
"Even a multi-homer debut is a rarity. Báez became just the ninth player in MLB history with at least two homers in his first career regular-season game, per Elias. Incredibly, it was the third time it happened this year, with Báez joining José Fernández on March 31 and Chase DeLauter on March 26 (after debuting in the postseason)."
Langs also pointed out another wild wrinkle from Opening Day. "Munetaka Murakami, JJ Wetherholt, Carson Benge and DeLauter all homered on Opening Day in their regular season debuts," Langs wrote. "It’s the only day in MLB history where at least three different players homered in their regular season debuts, per STATS."
Wetherholt has been a fixture on the Cardinals’ roster all season and was the National League Rookie of the Year frontrunner before landing on the injured list. Báez has also given St. Louis a real boost, adding more power to the offense as the season winds down.
With 20 games left in the regular season, the Cardinals still have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Even so, the bigger story may be what these debuts say about where the organization stands going forward.
Wetherholt and Báez have already made their mark, and the future in St. Louis looks a lot brighter than anyone expected.
In Other News...
Cardinals Prospect Story Just Sparked A Perfect Umpire Troll
When Hancel Rincn made his major league debut on Sept. 4, one of the more memorable moments had nothing to do with a pitch. Umpire Doug Eddings told the young right-hander to straighten the angle of his hat, and the quick fix instantly became the kind of quirky baseball detail that travels fast through a clubhouse and even faster through a fan base.
Springfield, Rincns former Double-A stop, has now turned that brief bit of attention into a promotion, announcing a "Crooked Caps" giveaway for Sept. 10. It is a fitting little wink from a team that has already clinched a Texas League playoff spot and continues to stock several names the Cardinals are hoping will matter in St. Louis before too long. [Read more 🡒]
Thomas Saggese Is Making The Cardinals Reconsider Third Base
Injuries have pushed Thomas Saggese into regular duty, mostly at shortstop, and the Cardinals have seen enough to make the next question unavoidable: where does he fit when everyone is healthy? Lance Lynn has already backed the young infielder to keep playing every day, pointing to the steady bat that has followed him through the minors and into the majors.
Saggese has also added some real pop lately, with home runs in consecutive games helping turn a short-term fill-in into a more interesting roster conversation. If he keeps producing and stays on the field, the Cardinals may have to look past the emergency plan and consider a much longer look at third base. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Cooper Hjerpe Decision To Make
The Cardinals have spent enough time juggling pitching shortages lately that every arm on the depth chart feels like it matters, and Cooper Hjerpe has started to look like one of the more obvious names to keep an eye on. The left-hander has been performing well at Triple-A Memphis, and with St. Louis still trying to stabilize the rotation, his progress has become part of the conversation as the club looks for ways to get through a stretch that has asked plenty of its staff.
Hjerpes situation only picked up more attention when he was scratched from a scheduled start, a move that naturally invites speculation even without an official announcement from the organization. Andre Pallantes return from the injured list gave the rotation a needed boost, but the Cardinals may not be done searching for help, and the timing of Hjerpes latest turn on the calendar suggests this is a decision the front office is watching closely. [Read more 🡒]