Ivan Herrera’s bat keeps giving the Cardinals reasons to dream, but his arm is turning into a problem they can’t ignore.
The St. Louis catcher has one of the best right-handed bats in the game, and that kind of offense is especially valuable when it comes from behind the plate. He can still help as a designated hitter, but the whole appeal is that his production looks rare if he’s actually catching.
That’s where the trouble starts. Heading into Saturday night’s action, Herrera’s -6 caught stealing above average rate ranked second-worst in baseball, and then the Colorado Rockies piled on by swiping five bases against him in last night’s game. Matthew Liberatore didn’t exactly help the situation, but Herrera still hasn’t thrown out a runner this season.
For a player who didn’t really have this issue in the minors, the decline has been hard to miss. His arm has been a concern behind the plate for years now, and shoulder and knee injuries appear to have taken a toll on his throwing strength.
He spent last winter recovering from elbow surgery, and there’s still a chance the Cardinals could find ways to build that back up this offseason. There may also be mechanical and mental pieces to the problem that are getting in the way.
Even so, it’s tough to picture the Cardinals handing him the catching job for the long haul unless something changes. That’s the frustrating part for St. Louis: Herrera has improved as a defensive catcher in other areas and as a gamecaller, but the throwing issue keeps dragging the whole profile down.
The recent miscues have only made the issue louder. In addition to the rough night against Colorado, Herrera also made a terrible decision trying to throw out a runner who had already reached second base, then fired the ball into center field. The Cardinals radio broadcast reacted with disbelief.
“In my head it was like, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ And I mean that’s literally the worst that can happen.
I tried to look cool, but it wasn’t cool. We’re in Yankee Stadium trying to be like Derek Jeter there."
Even with that mess behind him, Herrera still matters to the Cardinals’ future. His bat has been heating up lately, as shown by a .258/.292/.468 line over his last 15 games, and there’s plenty of belief that he can do more. If catching becomes too difficult to trust, the Cardinals still have options: designated hitter, a platoon role at first base with Alec Burleson, or even another look in the corner outfield.
That flexibility may help keep his offense from slipping the way it has at times this season. But for now, the Cardinals are staring at an offseason question that isn’t going away. Unless Herrera finds a way to solve the arm issue, his long-term future behind the plate looks very much in doubt.
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That leaves the front office with a bigger question than just replacing production, because the outfield now feels like a spot where the Cardinals may need another major piece. One name already circulating as a possible offseason target is Yankees outfielder Jasson Domnguez, which would give St. Louis a chance to keep reworking the group while the organization continues its reset. [Read more 🡒]