Cardinals Should Give Promising Young Catcher Starting Role In 2025

The Cardinals need to prioritize the development of a promising young catcher

Sep 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) reacts following the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals will soon start their rebuild and will be trading certain players to clear money off the books.

Players such as Ryan Helsley, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras are likely to be shipped off to contending teams as the Cardinals try to get younger and prioritize development for the next few seasons. The youth takeover is about to begin in St. Louis.

But if they are trading Contreras, who is their starting catcher, they need to prioritize the development of one of their young backstops. Ivan Herrera has struggled defensively, but St. Louis needs to make him the starter in 2025.

Katie Woo of The Athletic had noted back in September that several young players, including Herrera, hadn't been properly developed at the minor league level in terms of learning fundamentals.

However, if 2025 is truly about development and not about winning, then the Cardinals need to give Herrera chances to work on his defense. They also need to have his bat in the lineup.

The 24-year-old hit .301 with five home runs, 27 RBI and an .800 OPS. However, despite his hitting prowess, the Cardinals continued to prioritize the light-hitting Pedro Pages and strangely kept Herrera in Triple-A Memphis.

But now is the time for Herrera to receive regular reps as the starting catcher. He needs to be given chances to improve his defense and establish himself as the team's next catcher.

The future is still bright for Herrera, and the Cardinals would be wise to make him the starting catcher next season.

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