Oli Marmol’s Jimmy Crooks plan confirms Pedro Pages is losing his grip on Cardinals’ catching job

Over the last few weeks, pleas for the St. Louis Cardinals to give Jimmy Crooks a shot as their starting catcher have grown louder and louder, and Chaim Bloom finally pulled the trigger on that decision on Friday. And now, manager Oliver Marmol is confirming that Crooks promotion will impact Pages' role on the roster, not Ivan Herrera's.

Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat shared a quote from Marmol prior to Friday's clash with the Chicago Cubs, where the Cardinals manager stated that they'll "look to maintain the same catching rotation with Herrera", meaning that Pages will have his time behind the plate impacted by Crooks. Marmol said Pages has been an "absolute pro" about this decision.

The Cardinals are facing a lefty on the mound and have Andre Pallante on the bump, so that meant Herrera would be behind the plate, and Nelson Velázquez, who the Cardinals called up on Friday as well, would DH. But based on Marmol's comments, we can expect Crooks to be the primary catcher when Dustin May, Matthew Liberatore, and Kyle Leahy are on the mound, and likely will get DH opportunities against righties when Herrera is catching.

This is a significant shift that the Cardinals are making as, since 2024, Pages has been the Cardinals' primary catcher and someone the pitching staff, and whole organization, quite frankly, has grown to love. No matter who you talk to with the Cardinals, no one ever has a negative thing to say about Pages, and it is clear that his defense behind the plate, the work he does to call games and prepare with his pitchers to navigate opposing lineups, and the glue that he is in the clubhouse matter.

At the same time, the Cardinals' lineup has been bad as of late, and Pages has always been one of the weakest links. Crooks provides the Cardinals with a ton of upside here, and that's why they've finally decided to pull the trigger on this move.

Pedro Pages' reaction to the promotion of Jimmy Crooks shows why he still provides value to Cardinals

While I know many Cardinals fans have grown frustrated by Pages' play on the field, his reaction to the news that Crooks would be taking his playing time just goes to show why he matters so much to the Cardinals clubhouse, and his new role may actually maximize his impact while allowing Crooks and Herrera to hopefully form a great duo behind the plate.

Yohel Pozo was optioned to Memphis as a result of this move, which allows Pages to slide into that third catcher role. I imagine he'll start behind the plate more than Pozo did, but if Crooks and Herrera are healthy and playing well, I don't see it being all that often. That means Pages' main value to the Cardinals now will come in meetings, pre-game prep, in-game adjustments, the catcher's room, and his impact on the clubhouse, which are all things he can continue to provide in his more reserve role.

While Crooks has a lot of upside as a defensive catcher, he has a lot he can learn from Pages' preparation and feel behind the plate. Not because Crooks isn't capable, but because those are skills that Pages excels in. Herrera is still growing as a defensive catcher as well, so now Pages can help invest more time into both Crooks and Herrera, hopefully helping both catchers thrive as the Cardinals' starting duo.

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