Cardinals Finally Found Solution To Something They've 'Needed For Years' Offensively

St. Louis is excited for the young slugger's development

Aug 21, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Luken Baker (26) salutes the fans as he receives a curtain call after hitting a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images / Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will need all the help they can get to compete for the National League Central title this upcoming season.

Despite last year's poor offensive campaign, the Cardinals lineup doesn't look much different heading into 2025. Their youth-laden roster will undoubtedly struggle if several youngsters, such as Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker, fail to improve from their disappointing 2024 performances.

Fortunately, St. Louis has a rising star who could be significantly impactful this upcoming season after working to improve his bat speed over the winter.

"(Luken) Baker went into the offseason with the mission of increasing his bat speed and he ended up making dramatic strides in that area," MLB.com's John Denton wrote Sunday when writing about players who've made the biggest impressions at this year's spring training. "The increased bat speed, combined with the strength from his 6-foot-4, 285-pound frame, has helped Baker to likely slug his way onto the Major League roster for Opening Day. So far, heading into Sunday, he has seven hits in 25 at-bats (.280) to go along with three homers and seven RBIs."

Baker debuted with the Cardinals in Jun. 2023 but failed to replicate his minor-league dominance to the majors -- batting .198 with nine extra-base hits including four home runs, 20 RBIs and a .645 OPS in 54 games throughout the two previous seasons played for St. Louis.

"Maybe more impressively, Baker has shown his command of the strike zone by walking seven times compared to just four strikeouts," Denton continued. "He’ll most likely be used as a pinch-hitter in the season ahead -- something the left-handed heavy Cardinals have needed for years off the bench."

The Cardinals ranked 25th last season with only 35 hits against left-handed pitchers and 29th in batting average (.225) for right-handed hitters, so hopefully, Baker's availability from the bench will help St. Louis solve their righty-hitting crisis.

The 28-year-old slugger has tremendous pop -- belting 65 home runs over the two previous seasons in the minors while logging a 1.159 OPS in 2023 for Triple-A Memphis.

This upcoming season is being considered a transitional year for the Cardinals, so hopefully, Baker will thrive due to less pressure will be imposed on the young St. Louis roster.

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