Noah Cardenas spent the first month of the 2026 season grinding through a brutal stretch at the plate, but the Saints catcher has started to look like himself again.
Through his first 29 games, Cardenas was stuck in a deep hole offensively, hitting .112/.295/.213 with just two home runs and 36 strikeouts across 114 plate appearances. The defense held up behind the plate, but the bat was nowhere near the level he showed when he first reached Triple-A last June.
“I think I was just pressing a lot, putting a lot of pressure on myself, and I think it was just something I’m going to look back and be thankful for in my career,” Cardenas said. “But obviously when you’re going through it, it’s the worst thing ever.”
The last 29 games have told a different story. Cardenas has hit .217/.316/.470 with seven home runs and 14 RBI over that span, while adding 11 walks, 18 strikeouts, and 17 runs scored in 98 plate appearances. It’s not a finished product, but it’s a clear step forward from where he opened the year.
Saints manager Brian Binkelman said the turnaround has shown up in the quality of Cardenas’ at-bats and the power he’s bringing back to the lineup.
“The bat, slow coming out this season, but the last month, six weeks have been good,” Saints manager Brian Binkelman said regarding his catcher. “Hitting nine home runs for us this year even though the average hasn’t been great will provide a little bit of power at the bottom of the lineup.”
Cardenas’ extra-base damage has come in the form of home runs, and that pop is exactly what he’s been trying to rediscover. He said the biggest reason for the bounce-back has been the support around him in the clubhouse, where teammates have helped keep him steady through the rough patches.
“It’s been fun to be a part of this team and this group of guys,” Cardenas said. “They’ve encouraged me all year, and a lot of guys are lifting me up and allowing me to - just encouraging me [the whole] way. But no, my swing has been feeling great, and I’ve been feeling a lot better at the plate for sure.”
That kind of give-and-take has become part of the Saints’ daily routine, according to first baseman Aaron Sabato.
“I feel like the way everyone reaches out to everyone, we’ll help with anything,” said Saints first baseman Aaron Sabato. “Whether it’s coaches or players, if we see something, we’ll say something if we think it can tweak something a little bit, or we talk so much hitting with everybody all the time we’re around each other.”
Cardenas said many of his teammates are players he has come up with through the Twins system, and that the bonds extend beyond baseball through Bible studies and volunteering opportunities. That environment has helped him settle back in at the plate, and he likes where things are headed as the season moves on.
“I think the second half has been fun, kind of getting back to who I am as a hitter, and swinging good pitches, hitting balls at good angles,” Noah Cardenas said. “And I’ve thankfully been getting good results from that.”
His renewed production matters for a Saints lineup that has already been relentless. The club leads all of pro baseball with 181 home runs this year, and Cardenas’ power adds another threat as the team pushes toward the Triple-A playoffs in Las Vegas.
Sabato said the catcher’s recent at-bats look much sharper, and that when Cardenas gets to his pull side, the damage can be loud.
“He’s just taking way better at-bats, swinging at better pitches,” said Sabato. “The guy can hit the fastball better than anybody.
He’s just been all over it, and when he really gets into the pull side, when he does damage, I mean, nobody, like last year when he took Zach Maxwell ’s fastball up and in for a walk-off homer. He has that in the bag.”
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