{"id":82598,"date":"2024-08-09T19:46:14","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T23:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=82598"},"modified":"2024-08-09T19:46:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T23:46:14","slug":"cardinals-catcher-ivan-herrera-uncertain-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/09\/cardinals-catcher-ivan-herrera-uncertain-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardinals Catcher Faces Uncertain Future with the Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the emergence of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=pagespe02,pagespe01&amp;search=Pedro+Pag\u00e9s&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pedro Pages<\/a>, St. Louis Cardinals catcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herreiv01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ivan Herrera<\/a> faces an uncertain future with the organization.<\/p>\n<h2>Ivan Herrera Facing Uncertain Future with Cardinals<\/h2>\n<h3>Herrera&#8217;s Time in the Majors<\/h3>\n<p>Herrera began the 2024 MLB season as the Cardinals&#8217; backup catcher behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/contrwi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Willson Contreras<\/a>. Formerly the 2023 Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year, Herrera slashed .279\/.378\/.340 in 54 games with the 2024 major-league squad. Compared with his offensive struggles in his previous stints in the majors, he was finally showing serious developmental promise. However, following an injury to his lower back on June 22, Herrera has not returned to the majors this season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Have yourself a moment Iv\u00e1n Herrera!<\/p>\n<p>First career homer on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Cardinals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Cardinals<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OpeningDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#OpeningDay<\/a>! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jQSB8Nueq8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/jQSB8Nueq8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB (@MLB) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLB\/status\/1775991340615995857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Since his return, in 18 games with Triple-A Memphis, he has hit .241 with three HR and nine RBI. Yet, one is left to wonder whether any quality of performance could bring Herrera back to the majors this season.<\/p>\n<h3>Vote for Pedro<\/h3>\n<p>In Herrera&#8217;s absence, Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages stepped neatly into his role. In 43 games, he has slashed .236\/.333\/.284. While Pages&#8217; offensive numbers show lackluster contribution, he has often taken on a bigger presence within the Cardinals lineup during this time. posting an 11-game hitting streak in late July. This streak featured multiple clutch singles, which have become especially important in light of the team&#8217;s struggles with RISP. In fact, the catcher position has become <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/19\/cardinals-catcher-teams-success\/\" target=\"_self\">highly important<\/a> to the Cardinals&#8217; hopes for a Wild Card spot.<\/p>\n<p>Pages has also provided major defensive contributions to the team. In his 43 games, he has only allowed three passed balls. His limiting of the run game, in comparison to Contreras, has also been impressive. On 46 attempts, Pages has caught nine runners stealing, while <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/05\/31\/contreras-optimistic-recovery-teammates\/\" target=\"_self\">Contreras<\/a> has caught five on 32 attempts. While this still puts Pages below the league average, it displays a marked improvement. The Cardinals, having allowed the second-most stolen bases per game in the MLB, desperately need help on that front.<\/p>\n<p>Herrera, in his 54 games, posted only a 7% caught-stealing rate, well below Pages&#8217; 20% and Contreras&#8217; 15%.<\/p>\n<p>It appears as though, despite his offensive downticks, Pages has cemented his position on the big-league roster, at least for the remainder of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<h3>Where Does This Leave Herrera?<\/h3>\n<p>In the years leading up to and following the retirement of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2018\/06\/19\/yadier-molina-sets-catching-record\/\" target=\"_self\">longtime<\/a> Cardinals catcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/molinya01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yadier Molina<\/a>, a seemingly constant stream of potential replacements have filled the backup role. The figures who have preceded Herrera, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=kellyca02,kelly-005car,kelly-004car&amp;search=Carson+Kelly&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carson Kelly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kniznan01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Knizner<\/a>, have all wound up with <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/28\/rangers-trade-for-carson-kelly\/\" target=\"_self\">different organizations<\/a>. With the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2022\/12\/07\/willson-contreras-cardinals\/\" target=\"_self\">signing<\/a> of Contreras, the Cardinals were thought to have found a viable replacement for their beloved catcher.<\/p>\n<p>Herrera, once the No. 4 prospect in the Cardinals organization, now finds himself in a sort of logjam for his position. In their <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/05\/quinn-mathews-baseball-america-prospects\/\" target=\"_self\">minor league system<\/a>, the Cardinals also possess <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=bernal000leo&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Leonardo Bernal<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=crooks000jim&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jimmy Crooks<\/a>, their No. 8 and 12 prospects, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Given the current solid state of the catching situation in St. Louis, it seems likely that they will use their September call-ups for more pressing needs. This could include help for the bullpen or rotation in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcgremi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael McGreevy<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gracego01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gordon Graceffo<\/a>, both of whom have made spot starts for the Cardinals this year. It is also possible that they use one of these call-ups to keep top prospect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/scottvi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victor Scott II<\/a> in the majors upon the return of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2018\/05\/27\/mike-siani-2018-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">injured<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sianimi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-08-09_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Siani<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, the fact that Herrera was not dealt at the trade deadline in a year when the organization was building upon their major league squad signals some hope for him to remain with the organization. Nevertheless, barring injuries, his status within the Cardinals system will remain uncertain heading into 2025.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the emergence of Pedro Pages, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera faces an uncertain future with the organization. Ivan Herrera Facing Uncertain Future with Cardinals Herrera&#8217;s Time in the Majors Herrera began the 2024 MLB season as the Cardinals&#8217; backup catcher behind Willson Contreras. Formerly the 2023 Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5241,"featured_media":82634,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,926,1071],"tags":[6442,1045,6415,1308,28576,1478,522],"class_list":["post-82598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardinals","category-milb","category-mlb","tag-andrew-knizner","tag-carson-kelly","tag-ivan-herrera","tag-mlb-prospects","tag-pedro-pages","tag-willson-contreras","tag-yadier-molina"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5241"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}