The Cardinals need to make sure Ivan Herrera plays

While there hasn’t been much to love about the St. Louis Cardinals recently, the national love for one player and his potential for a breakout season keeps coming.

Last week, Keith Law at The Athletic listed Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera as one of his breakout candidates for 2025: “I’ve always bought the bat, as Herrera has a great swing and makes a ton of contact, but in a small sample last season, he showed that he can make plenty of hard contact, too…[h]e got just under half a season of playing time last year and was worth 1.7 bWAR; I think he’ll double that this year, assuming he gets twice the at-bats.”

(Of course, Law also listed Jordan Walker on his 2024 list, so maybe his list is simply cursed?)

CBS Sports listed Herrera as one of their fantasy sleepers to keep an eye on: “Herrera looks like he might have legitimately above-average power, and not just for a catcher – his .366 expected wOBA in 2024 was well above the league average for all hitters, as was his .160 expected ISO. Pair it with good plate discipline and swing decisions, and you don't have to squint too much to see a legitimate top-five outcome at the position here.”

And USAToday also listed Herrera as a prime fantasy breakout player: “Despite 2025 likely being a rebuilding year in St. Louis, catcher Ivan Herrera is ready to take the next step and join the catcher elites. Herrera boasts remarkable plate discipline for a catcher, ranking in the upper half of Major League Baseball in both chase and strikeout rates (meaning he doesn't strike out more than usual).”

Clearly the expectation is Herrera is primed for a star turn this year. My concern, though? Will he even have enough at-bats to make an impact?

For a team that seemed starved for runs last year, Herrera’s bat needs to play. Yes, he was limited to only 259 at-bats last year but his .301/.372/.428 slash line stands out, as does his .800 OPS and his 1.7 WAR. It’s hard not to dream on what a full season would look like.

And yet the Cardinals have made no secret that Herrera and Pedro Pages are in a battle for the starting catcher position. This is no knock on Pages – I actually thought he was impressive last year, and it’s clear he’s built a rapport with the starting staff. And it makes sense why a team that previously employed Yadier Molina would value defensive prowess behind the plate.

It’s why I won’t be surprised if Pages gets the starting nod. But Herrera needs to play, and I worry the at-bats simply won’t be there if he’s not starting behind the plate.

When the team announced Willson Contreras was moving to first base, it was easy to think that perhaps Pages could get the majority of starts at catcher, while Herrera manned the designated hitter spot. But the team seems insistent (correctly, in my opinion) that Alec Burleson needs to play consistently. Where does his bat fit, then? Where does Brendan Donovan fit in if he’s not roaming the outfield? Or Nolan Gorman if Donovan takes a turn in the infield? At some point, there are simply too many names to fit, an issue that became heightened when the team failed to trade Nolan Arenado.

I know there are no easy solutions here. Those names above need to play this year too, and 2025 will simply be a waste if the Cardinals don’t get a chance to see what their young players can do.

But here’s hoping they ensure Herrera doesn’t get lost in the crowd.