MLB's prospect list omits Cardinals backstop in latest release

The catching alignment was a major talking point during the offseason for the St. Louis Cardinals, as the team has a plethora of talent in all levels of the organization. This created plenty of conversation about who would play where, especially as the Cardinals have five catchers on their 40-man roster, including two in Triple-A who were seen as close to the bigs. Jimmy Crooks and Leonardo Bernal have both been on top prospect lists throughout their time as professionals, but after Crooks was left off the Top 100 this year, MLB.com released their updated list, and now Bernal has been removed from the prospect rankings.

With Ivan Herrera working back behind the plate in tandem with Pedro Pages, there was speculation about what that would mean for the catching prospects who were nearing the majors. These rumors included trade conversations and where each of the youngsters would play, but we ultimately saw little action on the catching front as the offseason concluded.

For now, the two are splitting time, but the offensive performance of Pages has caused fans to call for a change at the dish, with pleas for a Crooks promotion despite high strikeout rates. This seemed like a possibility when it was announced that Bernal, the minor league Gold Glove winner, would be promoted to Memphis and work with Crooks. That created questions about how time would be split, which seems to be a near 50/50 split, with the other slotting in as the DH, or in the case of Bernal, grabbing a first base glove to expand his positional versatility.

Leonardo Bernal has to fend off catching competition at all levels of the Cardinals organization.

Bernal, a highly regarded prospect in his own right, has been a bit of a forgotten man so far this year, as Crooks has been mashing homers and Rainiel Rodriguez is speeding up the organizational ladder. The promotion to Triple-A has not necessarily been bad, but Bernal has shown a slight decline in his pop while striking out more than he ever has. It is encouraging, though, that his strikeout rate is still better than average, and he is playing this year at just 22 years old, more than four years younger than the average Triple-A player.

For the season, Bernal is hitting .244, which is right about where he ended last year, but his wRC+ has dropped below league average for the first time since a short stint in Double-A in 2024. Because the offense has not taken the same step forward as his glove, prospect savants felt that to be enough to move him outside of the Top 100 in their May update.

That is not to say that Bernal has been completely removed from the Cardinals' plans, of course. I would still anticipate some type of catching shakeup to happen, whether that is Herrera getting moved out from the plate more often, Pages giving up more time, or Yohel Pozo giving up his emergency catcher spot. Any of those moves could result in a Crooks promotion, which would put Bernal squarely into the starting catcher mix back at Memphis, as more consistency in his role could provide that next jump offensively against better competition.

How he responds after this slight downturn in offense will go far in telling the Cardinals, and potentially other teams, where Bernal's future might lie.

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