St. Louis Cardinals 4 Quality Catchers Becomes A Team Strength.

St. Louis Cardinals Ivan Herrera=5-11, 220 pounds, Age 26, Bats Right

Herrera is the team’s starting catcher.

Herrera is in his 5th season with the Cardinals, after being selected as an International Free Agent out of Panama in 2016, for $200,000.

A dependable hitter, Herrera makes good contact at the plate, and as has noted, he generally hits 2nd in the Cardinals lineup.

Herrera made the National League All Star team this season, his first such recognition.

Herrera has some pop in his bat, as last season he hit 19 homers, and drove in 68 runs.

This year, Herrera may not make it to 19, but he could reach 17.

St. Louis Cardinals Pedro Pagés=5-11, 245 pounds, Age 27, Bats Right

Pedro Pages was selected by the Cardinals in the 6th round of 2018 MLB draft, out of Florida Atlantic University.

The Cardinals gave Pages a $250,000 signing bonus.

Starting his baseball venture in Venezuela, Pages made quite a name for himself as a defensive stalwart at Florida Atlantic.

An excellent defensive catcher, fausports.com indicated that Pages “was voted as Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, to the All-C-USA Second Team and as First Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region” while he played at Florida Atlantic.

Used as a back-up to Ivan Herrera, Pages could get 200 plate appearances this year.

St. Louis Cardinals Jimmy Crooks=6-0, 230 pounds, Age 25, Bats Left

Crooks was a 4th round selection of the Cardinals out of University of Oklahoma in 2022.

Crooks just turned 25 on July 19, so he is yet another one of the fine young catchers in the Cardinals catcher room.

The left-handed hitter among the three Cardinals big league catchers, Crooks just turned 25 on July 18.

Sharing the back-up catcher’s load with Pedro Pages, Crooks could finish the season with 175 plate appearances.

calluptracker.com said this when Crooks was promoted to the Cardinals parent club: “Crooks brings a well-rounded profile that blends offense, defense, and leadership.”

Crooks has been called “steady and dependable” on defense, and a catcher who “earns strikes” for his pitcher.

St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Catcher Leo Bernal=6-0, 245 pounds, Age 22, Bats Both

The Cardinals top-off their deep catching stable with a switch-hitting catcher.

Like Ivan Herrera, Bernal was signed as an International free agent out of Panama.

Signed for $680,000 in 2021, Bernal has enjoyed an outstanding year at Triple-A Memphis, in this his sixth season as a professional.

Said to be a better hitter from the left side of the plate, Bernal has a stocky frame reminiscent of the prototypical catcher build of the past.

Bernal has a nice combination of a very solid hit tool, power, and solid defense behind the plate. He rates a Grade 60 for his arm strength.

mlb.com has listed Bernal as the No. 7 prospect in the Cardinals organization.

In a June article in June, si.com said, “Cardinals May Have Struck Gold With No. 5 Prospect Leo Bernal.” They have a different ranking that MLB.com, but the overall story is the same; Leo Bernal is a top prospect, and one worth watching.

Conclusions About St. Louis Cardinals Catching Depth:

Without question, the St. Louis Cardinals are in an enviable position regarding depth at one of the toughest positions in Major League Baseball to develop.

The St. Louis Cardinals have four very viable catcher options the team can call upon to provide very credible, Major League Baseball quality at the critical position in the center of the action.