Cardinals Insider Shares High Praise For St. Louis' Young Slugger

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of emerging young talent, but the top young player on the team might be catcher Iván Herrera.

He fought with injuries earlier in the season, but since returning, the slugger has been incredible. It's hard to imagine a Cardinals future that Herrera isn't hitting third or fourth in the order for.

The Athletic's Katie Woo recently shared some incredibly high praise for the Cardinals' young catcher.

"Since returning from the injured list on May 9, Herrera is hitting a brisk .396 with 14 RBI and a 1.008 OPS and has firmly planted himself as a mainstay in the heart of the order," Woo wrote. "His bat is such a threat that Marmol pledged to play him every day, even if the bulk of those at-bats come via the DH and not as a catcher.

"At a time when Arenado is scuffling and Willson Contreras (back spasms) has been unavailable, having Herrera’s thump from the right side has allowed the Cardinals’ lineup to remain versatile. Keeping him healthy remains a priority, but as multiple players begin to show the benefits of consistent playing time, Herrera stands out as a prime example."

To find a bat that can post an OPS over 1.000 is special, period. But if that player is also catching, which is a defensive first position, that makes him that much more valuable.

There's nothing in Herrera's game that indicates he can't hit around .300 for a full season, though his batting average near .400 will likely regress to the mean over the course of the season. Still, the young slugger could continue to mash baseballs and end up with a season OPS around 1.000, a number only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani topped in 2024.