Ivan Herrera's biggest flaw may force Cardinals' hand this offseason

I am as hopeful as anyone that Ivan Herrera can be the St. Louis Cardinals' long-term catcher. He is one of the best right-handed bats in the game today, and pairing that with playing behind the plate makes his offense invaluable. He's still a big asset as a designated hitter, but there's no doubt that his offensive profile is in rare company if he's behind the plate.

Well, he's got to be able to throw out at least some runners if that is going to continue.

Heading into action on Saturday night, Herrera's -6 caught stealing above average rate was second-worst in all of baseball, and that was before he allowed five(!!!) Colorado Rockies baserunners to steal off him during last night's game. Ouch. Sure, Matthew Liberatore did not help his cause, but Herrera has yet to throw out a single base runner this season.

For years now, Herrera's arm has been shot behind the plate, an issue he did not really deal with in the minor league levels, but both shoulder and knee injuries seem to have wiped him of his arm strength. Maybe the Cardinals are able to find a way to build that up this offseason (he spent last winter recovering from elbow surgery), and maybe there are some mechinical things and mental aspects of throwing runners out that are preventing him from having success as well.

But, barring some major changes there, it is hard to imagine the Cardinals trusting Herrera behind the plate long term. It's a shame, not just because of what value his bat brings at that position, but also because of the improvements he has made as a defensive catcher in other areas and as a gamecaller. But it really does seem like Herrera is trending toward a future away from the catching position.

Ivan Herrera won't be the Cardinals' long-term catcher unless his arm issues are fixed soon

It's honestly surprising how little teams have tried to take advantage of Herrera's arm on the basepaths this season, but when teams do like the Rockies did on Saturday, the game starts to feel far more chaotic than a big league game should. It's not hyperbole to say that opponents have zero reason to worry about stealing a base when Herrera is behind the plate right now,

The mistakes seem to be piling up for Herrera behind the dish as of late. Alongside the bad night against the Rockies this weekend, Herrera also made a really, really bad decision trying to throw out a base runner who had already reached second base, proceeding to throw the ball into center field and causing the Cardinals radio broadcast to voice their disbelief at what they just saw.

Still, Herrera remains an important part of the Cardinals' future. His bat has been catching fire as of late, slashing .258/.292/.468 over his last 15 games, and we all know he's capable of so much more. Even if Herrera cannot find a role long term as a frequent catcher, he's still someone who can mash as their designated hitter, find some playing time at first base in a platoon with Alec Burleson, or perhaps they even try the corner outfield thing with him again. And honestly, that may keep his offensive production from dipping as it has at times this year

The Cardinals have a tough decision on their hands this offseason with Herrera. Hopefully he can show some signs down the stretch of improvement in controlling the running game, and even if not, maybe the Cardinals have a plan cooking this offseason to solve that. Until that happens though, this will remain a major question mark that clouds the Cardinals' catching situation.

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