Ivan Herrera's arm remains shrouded in mystery for the Cardinals

Ivan Herrera received his first substantial playing time with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024, and his bat was more than up to the challenge, as the catcher hit .301 in 229 at-bats. If batting were all he was required to do, Herrera would be a borderline stud. Unfortunately for Herrera, he is a catcher, and in today's game, where the stolen base has begun to make a comeback with the introduction of larger bases, it's become increasingly important to have an arm that can throw out attempted thieves at a semi-respectable clip. And that is where Herrera fell woefully short last season.

Of the 59 basestealing attempts against him on the season, Herrera managed to throw out only four runners, which is a dreadful 6.8%. Herrera admitted during the season that he was feeling pain in his arm and had received an injection in June. It's unclear whether that affected his throwing, but what is known is that Herrera had never struggled to that extent in the minor leagues.

Determined to solve the problems plaguing his throwing, Herrera trained at a Driveline facility during the offseason to adjust the angle he throws at and improve his arm strength. Whether this will bear out results remains to be seen, as he has caught one of three attempted basestealers this spring, which is far too small of a sample size to make any judgments.

The Cardinals may have a problem if Herrera's arm has not improved.

Cardinals manager Oli Marmol tends to prioritize defense over offense, and to that end, Herrera caught 56 games compared with the more defensively inclined Pedro Pages' 68. Most of those games came after Willson Contreras went down with a broken forearm in May, and with Contreras now slated to serve as the Cardinals' main first baseman, Herrera and Pages are locked in one of the team's spring training position battles to be the starting catcher.

If Herrera doesn't show tangible progress in his ability to throw out runners, the Cardinals might need to try him elsewhere on the diamond. That's easier said than done, however, as the team already has Contreras and Alec Burleson manning Herrera's most likely backup position of first base. Additionally, the offensive bar at first base is far higher than it is behind the plate, and Herrera may not possess the level of power desired in a first baseman.

The Cardinals do have a surplus of catching talent in the minor leagues, and if the Cardinals deem Herrera incapable of catching and either move him to another position or trade him, Jimmy Crooks could eventually serve as his replacement. The 23-year-old Crooks, who just missed a spot on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list for 2025, hit .321 with Double-A Springfield in 2024, but the Cardinals will likely play it safe with him and elevate him one level, to Triple-A Memphis, in 2025. That leaves veteran backup catcher Chance Sisco as the most likely player to get the nod. Sisco has a career .197 average, and a catching tandem of Pages and Sisco won't get many fans excited.

The Cardinals are adamant about keeping Contreras at first base and do not plan to give him any catching reps this season. But if players run wild on Herrera, the Cardinals will have a dilemma on their hands regarding what to do with him and how to construct the optimal duo behind the plate. For now, the Cardinals are anxious to see whether Herrera's stint at Driveline has resulted in significant gains with his throwing arm.