MINNEAPOLIS — As Luken Baker learned to harness more power from his size and swing, he had the aid of a technological teacher that is on its way to the majors.
With its help, he just got there first.
“The ABS the past couple of years and having that in the game — it’s different,†Baker said Friday afternoon of the Automated Balls-Strikes system that is in play at Class AAA. “Really, it’s helped me zone-in my zone. It showed me how big it really isn’t. The (strike) zone isn’t as big as sometimes you think it is. You think you can cover a lot more than you actually can.â€
Major League Baseball has used the laboratory of the minors to evaluate various changes to the rules and tools being considered for promotion, like the players testing them, to the highest level. Before there was a pitch timer in the majors, there was a pitch time for years in the minors. Before bigger bases got the call to the majors, they were in play in the minors. The ABS, which could reach exhibition games this spring training and MLB as early as 2026, has made tech advancements that make it more reliable even as it confounds pitchers with its view of the high strike, limiting some pitchers who rely on a fastball-curveball mix at that level.
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For some hitters, like Baker, ABS has sharpened their feel for the strike zone with repeated access to it in games, visual demonstrations on scoreboards, and the ability now to challenge the umpire’s call. Baker drew three walks Friday night against the Twins.
“That fastball at the top of the zone that looks pretty good to swing at, oh, it’s that far up?†Baker said. “Overtime, that pitch just looks up. … Early in the count, I don’t have to go after that tough pitch down and away because for two years I’ve been able to see it go and look up at the screen and go, yeah, that was down away. I don’t need to swing at that pitch.â€
The Cardinals recalled Baker from Triple-A Memphis this past week to be a right-handed answer against lefties, most often off the bench. In his first at-bat in the majors this season, Baker faced a lefty and with his first swing in the majors connected for a two-run homer. With 32 home runs this season, Baker has hit 65 home runs in his past 192 games at the Triple-A level.
This summer, he’s slugging .720 against lefties.
“The slug against lefties is real, and it’s always been there,†manager Oliver Marmol said. “What you like about his profile is he’s going to make more contact than just-a-power guy, and he’s going to take his walks.â€
Baker’s strikeout rate is up this season over last year, but so is his walk rate, which has climbed each of the past two seasons. In 2022, he struck out 129 times and walked 37 in 124 games. To go with those 65 homers the past two seasons, he’s struck out 186 times and walked 126 times. He had a .439 on-base percentage a year ago, and this summer has a .399 OBP against left-handers. He traces that improved feel for the strike zone back to the ABS which has not only defined and illustrated the strike zone for him, but also helped him shrink the strike zone to be pickier with pitches and look for damage.
A year after he struggled in the majors to a .209 average with 31 strikeouts in 99 at-bats, he feels better positioned for a limited role by beginning with a better feel for the strike zone.
“Last year, coming up here, sometimes I expected myself to do more than I was capable of, and it hurt me,†Baker said. “Everything I was doing in Memphis last year when I came up here, and I was changing everything when I got here. I was not getting as many at-bats. I was trying to do more with less. Coming up this time — the at-bats are the same. There are still pitches I like to hunt. There are still pitches I should not swing at. As long as I keep that perspective.â€
Gray set to duel friend, teammate, motivator
From walking in together during the introductions at the All-Star Game to pitching 1-2 for the Twins to start the playoffs to each receiving Cy Young Award votes, Sonny Gray and Pablo Lopez spent so much of their breakthrough 2023 seasons paired together as part of the Twins. On Saturday, they’ll pitch opposite each other in Gray’s return to Minnesota.
“I thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed working with him last year,†Gray said. “We both draw so much out of each other. Having another guy like him on the staff that was so dominating made me better. I would like to hope I was able to help him better, but he definitely made me better.â€
Lopez went 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA in 2023 and finished seventh in the Cy Young voting while Gray was the runner-up for the honor with a 2.79 ERA. This season, they both have matching 11-8 records and they’ve had their rocky stretches. Lopez has allowed 22 home runs on his way to a 4.47 ERA he recently trimmed with a start of six shutout innings
The Twins presented Gray a qualifying offer this past fall when he reached free agency, but they also made it clear to him that they would not likely offer more. Gray said a few attempts were made to engage the Twins on a return before he turned to offers made from the Cardinals, Reds, and Diamondbacks.
“I knew pretty early on throughout the free-agency process it just wasn’t going to be a place that I came back to as much as I liked it,†said Gray, who signed a three-year, $75 million deal with the Cardinals. “They were very transparent from the get-go: ‘We do not have the resources to give you a contract, as much as we’d like to.’ ºüÀêÊÓƵ was a place that was on the top of my list.â€
Lynn, Matz near decisions
A day before lefty Steven Matz makes his final rehab assignment before the Cardinals must make a call on his role and readiness for the majors, Lance Lynn will take the mound and near another decision for the club.
Lynn threw a between-start bullpen session Friday at Target Field as he preps for a round of live batting practice Monday at Busch Stadium. He’ll aim for around 65 pitches with the goal throwing at least 85 pitches in an outing before returning the majors. The uptick in intensity will be facing hitters in a game-like simulation for the veteran right-hander.
The next day, Matz will start for Class AAA Memphis looking to repeat his most recent outing with around 85 to 90 pitches. The appearance will be his seventh for the Triple-A Redbirds this season and his sixth since going on the injured list with a back injury. After that appearance, the Cardinals will face a choice on how to clear a spot on the 40-person roster for him and also where he’ll fit on the major-league club.
Extra bases
Michael Siani (oblique strain) made strides in the batting cage ahead of this weekend and faced increased velocity off a pitching machine. He’ll hit against Lynn in the Live BP session Monday and, if he feels strong and comfortable after those at-bats, will start a rehab assignment Tuesday with one of the Cardinals’ affiliates. … This is a dad’s trip for the Cardinals, many of whom brought a father or father figure on the charter flight from ºüÀêÊÓƵ for the three-day weekend series against the Twins. ... A home run this weekend by Paul Goldschmidt will make him the 23rd active player with at least one home run against all 30 teams. The Twins are the only remaining team he’s yet to hit a home run against. Dodgers designated hitter and two-way MVP Shohei Ohtani joined that group this past week with a home run against the Cardinals, the last of his 30 clubs to homer against.