MLB Rumors: Volpe shakeup, Cardinals hidden gem, brutal Astros injury

MLB Rumors: Did Cardinals fall backward into spark plug with Luken Baker?

Still sitting in the basement of a totally getable NL Central, the St. Louis Cardinals have been looking for any type of spark that would get the club to start finally living up to expectations and pushing for a playoff spot.

Jordan Walker was the first attempt at this at the start of the season and, though he’s back in St. Louis after getting demoted, the top prospect for the Cardinals hasn’t totally delivered. Another top prospect, pitcher Matthew Liberatore, has helped boost the starting rotation, and helped the pitching overall with Steven Matz finding new life in the bullpen. But even then, the spark they’ve needed has still overall been missing.

It turns out, someone who is not one of the club’s top prospects is looking like he could be the one who gives the Cardinals what they’re looking for: Luken Baker.

Baker, who was the 75th overall pick in 2018 out of TCU, has worked his way up through the Cardinals system slowly and finally got called up on June 4. Since then, he’s played two games and has flashed a bit by going 3-for-8 in his small sample size.

Admittedly, it’s not been perfect. Of the five at-bats when he didn’t get on base to this point, Baker struck out in four of them. At the same time, though, this offense has badly needed someone who can come in and deliver some juice to a too-often lifeless lineup. He has displayed, at the very least, the potential to provide that from the DH or first base (whichever Paul Goldschmidt isn’t playing) and also has a Triple-A resumé this seasont to suggest he can keep doing that after posting a 1.076 OPS and 18 home runs in 54 games this season with Memphis.

Time (and more opportunities) will tell if Baker can be the spark the Cardinals have been lacking, but the early signs are promising that they may be getting exactly what they need from this hidden gem not even inside the organization’s Top 30 prospects.