We knew Joshua Baez was putting up massive power numbers at Triple-A, and we knew he'd be arriving soon.
Nothing could have prepared us for how that debut would go, though. It was unlike any to ever come before it.
Just in case you were completely tuned out of baseball this weekend and missed the seismic news, the 23-year-old outfielder homered not just in his first at-bat, not just in his second at-bat, but in each of his first three at-bats Saturday at Cubs. It was the first three-homer debut in history, and here's what it looked like:
3 home runs in his first 3 Major League at-bats 😤Did Joshua Báez put on the best MLB debut EVER?! pic.twitter.com/P43Qi4d4cn
Now for the bad news: Baez's performance sent such shockwaves through the Fantasy Baseball world that he's already out of reach in typical CBS Sports leagues, his roster rate jumping from 45 percent to 81 percent — i.e., too high for me to feature him in a Waiver Wire article. Maybe if you play on one of those lesser platforms, you still have a shot at him, but, well … I write for CBS.
Ah, but should all these people be adding him when he had such pronounced swing-and-miss issues at Triple-A? Not only was he striking out at a 30 percent rate there, but his zone contact rate was just 78 percent, which would rank fourth-to-last among major league qualifiers. Word is that he's struggled to catch up to high heat, and he's still untested as far as that goes. After all, his three home runs all came off soft-tossing Matthew Boyd.
Oh, shut up, nerd! Who are you to argue with history? Baez's three home runs Saturday give him a total of 37 in just 105 games this year. Prorated over 162 games, that's 57 home runs. After a debut that loud by a player this talented, there isn't anything to think about. You take the shot and see what happens next. Breaking down the data at a time like this is the height of hubris. Not a one of us could possibly know what Baez will do next.
But since in all likelihood, he's already someone else's for better or worse, perhaps you should turn your attention to some of the other prospects who might be up soon now that we're inside of 45 days to go. I've compiled a list of those already, for those who haven't seen it, but in particular, I'd like to highlight one name here: Nationals shortstop Seaver King.
Word came out this weekend that offensive standout but defensive liability CJ Abrams is shifting to second base, and while the presumption is that current second baseman Nasim Nunez will simply trade places with him, it seems just as plausible this time of year that King — who's surging at Triple-A with a .469 (15 for 32) batting average, four home runs and two stolen bases in his past eight games — will get a look instead. He's a bit of a free swinger, but he has a penchant for line drives and power that plays to all fields. He's no Baez, in all likelihood, but I'd give him a look if I needed help up the middle.
That's enough about tomorrow's standouts, though. What about the ones from this weekend?
