Ivan Herrera plans to improve his arm in hopes of catching for Cardinals long-term

The Cardinals rolled the dice on Ivan Herrera behind the plate again in 2026 to the tune of mixed results. While he played almost every game this season after barely getting over 100 appearances in the past, and his game calling took a major step forward, it came at the expense of what his bat normally produced, and his arm remained a major weakness in his game.

Herrera, as things currently stand, is a well-below-average catcher behind the plate, in large part due to his inability to throw out base runners. Herrera threw out just one base runner in 2026, and his 3% caught-stealing rate was by far the worst in baseball. It's something teams are going to take advantage of more and more if he continues to play behind the plate, barring major improvements there.

If the Cardinals didn't have other options, then it wouldn't be that difficult to run him back behind the plate again in 2027. But with Leo Bernal establishing himself as their primary catcher already, Jimmy Crooks ready to push for an opportunity again, Pedro Pages proving to be a capable backup, and Rainiel Rodriguez coming soon, will the Cardinals really try this again?

Herrera was on the Cardinal Territory podcast with Jim Hayes this week, and in their conversation, cited the work he did last offseason to improve his game-calling, but was clear that he knows he needs to improve his arm, believing that doing so will make him a "very good catcher".

If he can, I'd have to agree with that assessment!

If Ivan Herrera can improve his arm, he should keep catching for Cardinals

There's no harm in allowing Herrera to try to improve his arm this offseason. Though Herrera had a down season at the plate, we know he can hit, and he finally showed the ability to play a full season. I don't doubt that his offensive numbers will be better in 2027, and if he can do that while catching at a high level, watch out.

Sneakily, Herrera has been a much better hitter when he's behind the plate than when he is at the designated hitter spot. Herrera was barely above league average at the plate as a designated hitter in 2026, while he posted a 121 wRC+ when he was catching. Some guys are just much better at the plate when they are playing a position, and to this point in his career, Herrera has been one of those guys.

Sure, Bernal should be the Cardinals' primary catcher moving forward, but in today's game, that likely means between 100 and 120 starts. That still allows for 42-62 starts behind the plate for another catcher, and Herrera would be a great option to partner with Bernal if he can improve his arm strength.

If the Cardinals do not believe he can do that, then honestly, he is someone the Cardinals could consider moving on from. I'm a big believer in Herrera's talent and would like to see him bounce back in 2027 at the plate in a Cardinals uniform, but then again, we have seen plenty of Cardinals players regress over time and fail to recapture the promise they showed earlier in their careers. This is a new regime though, so hard to hold those "sins of the past" against them.

It's nice to hear that Herrera is committed to figuring this out, and if he can prove his doubters wrong, he'll reclaim his standing as one of the best young players in the sport.

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