Yardbarker
x

St. Louis promoted catcher Leo Bernal for his pending MLB debut on September 1, the same day rosters expanded across the Majors. Bernal, one of the better prospects in the Cardinals’ system, is a Minor League Gold Glover who hit very well down in Triple-A this season.

A Look at Bernal

The Cardinals have done a good job of producing catchers over the past few years. Ivan Herrera, Jimmy Crooks (who was one of the better prospects in the system at one time and has seen time in St. Louis), and now Leo Bernal.

A 22-year-old switch-hitter, Bernal put up relatively good numbers across two abbreviated seasons in Low-A as a 19-year-old and 20-year-old, respectively. Two years ago, Bernal was able to play 110 games and showed what he was capable of doing over a full season. He slashed .262/.336/.403 with 31 extra-base hits (11 home runs). That season, he moved to Double-A for the first time.

Bernal cracked 32 extra-base hits over a full season with Double-A Springfield in 2025, and also posted one of the lower swing-and-miss rates in the Texas League last season, a shade over 22%. This past season with Memphis, the 22-year-old catcher slashed .278/.363/468 with 16 home runs and 37 extra-base hits, both of which were career-highs for Bernal.

From an approach standpoint, there are several things that stand out offensively with Bernal. An open stance, a swing path that favors more contact, and a good amount of strength in his 6’0” build.

Bernal wasn’t a high-take hitter whatsoever down in Triple-A. His Take% from July 5 through the end of August was a tick below the Triple-A median. The vast majority of those takes wound up being balls, as only 22% of them were called strikes.

Will he expand? Yes, to a certain extent. His Chase% over the last six weeks was just over 30%. However, there was some fluctuation from month to month, so it’s not just one of those things where he’ll be a complete free-swinger.

(via New Baseball Media)

The 22-year-old can get to fastballs, with a sub-20% Whiff% on four-seamers this season. Bernal had little trouble getting to the high ball, as well as pitchers in the middle part of the plate (unsurprisingly). Where things got dicey to a certain extent was down in the lower third of the strike zone, as well as down and out.

(via New Baseball Media)

He had a 26% Whiff% on changeups and a 45% Whiff% on sliders, the two non-fastball pitches he saw the most down in Triple-A.

Defensively, Bernal spent most of his time at catcher. However, he also played 17 games at first this season. Bernal allowed only five passed balls over 70 games and had a CS% of 27.4%. And the glove behind the plate was good enough for him to win a Minor League Gold Glove in 2025.

The Cardinals had Leo Bernal on the 40-man roster, meaning that the club didn’t have to make a move to get him on it.

Analysis

The promotion of Bernal gives the Cardinals three catchers, including the 22-year-old, Pedro Pages and Ivan Herrera. But given how much Herrera sees time as the DH in St. Louis, there is ample opportunity for Bernal to make an impression at the big-league level.

He may very well be able to provide more of a punch than Pages. Bernal was a relatively consistent hitter across all four full-season levels in the Minors. And throughout his time, he showed pop and bat-to-ball skills. Plus, the glove gives him a safe floor.

Between Bernal and Rainiel Rodriguez, the latter of whom has torn up Double-A this season, the Cardinals have a bright future on paper behind the dish.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.