This forgotten Cardinals prospect is reaching dangerous territory

The Cardinals' catching pipeline has continued to amaze in 2026. Even with the downgraded version of Pedro Pages that’s been on display, St. Louis’ depth is second to none behind the dish. 

With so many different names vying for opportunities, this Cardinal prospect is getting left behind. 

Leo Bernal: A Top 100 Prospect 

Of all the catching prospects in St. Louis’ system, the most consistent has been Leo Bernal. He is currently ranked as the 88th prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.

The 22-year-old backstop has been the same player across every level of the minor leagues. He’s a strong backstop with a cannon for a right arm, and he finds ways to put the ball in play. Scouts grade him out as a 60 in the arm department and a 60 as a fielder. Overall, he’s slated as a 55. 

In recent times, Bernal has turned into a castaway. He remains a top-100 prospect in the sport, and although he’s in the midst of a slow start, it isn’t eerily bad. His .675 OPS through 18 games is still better than Pages' and Yohel Pozo's and barely ranks behind Ivan Herrera. 

St. Louis needs to pick a direction behind the dish.

If the Cardinals continue to trot out Pages to command the pitching staff, they’re making it evident that defense comes first. 

Bernal is just as good a defender, if not better. His prospect pedigree also grades out much better than what was expected of Pages when he was an up-and-comer. 

If St. Louis opts for more of Herrera behind the dish, it seems they’re leaning towards offense. Catching prospect Jimmy Crooks has raked all year at Triple-A and would currently have the second-most home runs on the big club. 

One of St. Louis’ most highly esteemed sportswriters, Bernie Miklasz, is skeptical of Crooks’ newfound success. 

“In 15 games, big league pitchers struck out [Crooks] at a rate of 37%,” exclaimed Miklasz. “In specific, Crooks is bedeviled by four pitches: he’s 1/5 with four strikeouts against the sweeper, 2/11 with five strikeouts against the slider, 0/5 with four strikeouts against the curveball, and he’s 0/5 with two strikeouts against the changeup.” 

With the suspect success that Crooks has mounted and the lackluster performance of the St. Louis catching unit, Bernal might be the next Redbird up. 

His unique skill set to put up a quality AB while still grading out well above-average defensively should excite Cardinal fans. If St. Louis backstops continue to middle closer to the deadline and Crooks hasn’t improved against the junk-drawer, Bernal is what’s left. 

If the Cardinals aren’t planning on giving Bernal or Crooks a fair shot in The Lou, they’d be better used as trade bait. The last thing the Cardinals need is another stalled-out prospect. 

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