Cardinals prospect Joshua Baez had even the big league clubhouse buzzing about his incredible night in Memphis

ST. LOUIS -- After the camera lights went off and most of the reporters gathered around Blaze Jordan’s locker dissipated, I lingered for a moment.

I had another topic, one unrelated to the St. Louis Cardinals’ 3-2 win that Jordan helped produce on Tuesday night, about which I wanted to ask the team’s new third baseman.

Joshua Baez.

The rising outfield prospect of the Cardinals organization slugged a Memphis Redbirds record four home runs in a single game on Tuesday, propelling the Triple-A affiliate to a 12-5 win over Nashville.

Baez’s home run total for the season ballooned to 23 after his historic night, a mark that leads all Triple-A hitters by a considerable margin.

I lingered at Blaze’s locker because, less than a week ago, Jordan was Baez's teammate in Memphis. For much of this season, he had a front row seat to witness the light-tower power for which Baez has become known.

So, I thought I would be slick. I would tell Jordan about Baez’s remarkable night -- and be able to get his genuine reaction.

Not so fast, my friend.

What I had not accounted for was the possibility that Baez’s performance would already be a talking point within the Cardinals clubhouse before I even walked into it.

“Some of the guys were talking about it in here,” Jordan told me. “I was like, oh, that makes sense.”

So, in the few minutes that I spent awaiting Oli Marmol’s postgame availability in the interview room across the hall, the Cardinals clubhouse was, apparently, already abuzz about what had happened that night in Memphis.

Jordan said that he wasn’t at all surprised to hear what his Redbird teammate had accomplished.

“He’s a special talent, man,” Jordan added. "It was fun to really watch him down there and I can’t wait for him to be up here at some point.”

Cardinals catcher Jimmy Crooks seemed like another good person to ask for perspective on Baez’s capabilities with a bat in his hand.

Crooks was self-deprecating in making his point about Baez, joking that his own home runs (the catcher boasts 13 in Memphis and one with St. Louis so far this season) resemble more of the wall-scraper variety.

But not Baez.

“He don’t get cheapies,” Crooks stated, noting that Baez homers tend to sail over the outfield wall by 70 to 100 feet.

Seeing some of the video evidence, that assertion feels like more than just a fish tale.

The natural question from Cardinals fans after a night like Tuesday -- when do we see Baez get the call to the big leagues?

That part remains to be seen, with an outfield of Lars Nootbaar, Nathan Church and Jordan Walker performing capably in St. Louis.

But nights like Tuesday certainly can’t hurt Baez’s case to make an impression on the right people within the organization. 

“Guy had a spectacular night,” Marmol said. “You definitely continue to take notice. But there’s a lot of factors that go into future decisions.”