As a catcher, Iván Herrera knows the importance of intense concentration behind the plate.
After all, he learned from the best: his predecessor with the Cardinals, Yadier Molina.
“Yadi always said, ‘There’s 100 pitches you’ve caught,’” Herrera told MLB.com during the Cardinals’ recent series in West Sacramento. “‘You miss one, that pitch might be the reason why we lost. You’ve got to be focused all 100 pitches.’”
The Cardinals backstop is trying to do just that during a season in which he’s seen an expanded role behind the plate, all while remaining one of the Cards’ top bats. After serving predominantly as St. Louis’ designated hitter in 2025 -- while dealing with multiple injuries -- Herrera has already caught more games in 2026 than he did all of last season.
He has caught every start from breakout starter Michael McGreevy and all but one from ground-ball specialist Andre Pallante. McGreevy’s success and a strong offense have been key factors, but Herrera takes pride in the fact that the Cardinals are successful when he catches: They’re 10-7 in his starts behind the plate, with only one of the seven losses decided by more than four runs.
“I feel like there’s only been one game that we’ve been far from winning,” Herrera said. “It’s been nice to be able to do that.”
The 25-year-old said he feels “much better” about his defense so far in 2026, although Statcast metrics indicate Herrera has room to improve. He ranks in the 47th percentile of qualifying catchers in blocks above average (0), in the 24th percentile in pitch framing (-1 run value) and in the eighth percentile in caught stealing above average (-2).
After undergoing offseason surgery on his throwing elbow to remove bone spurs and loose bodies, Herrera feels much more confident he can gun down runners on the basepaths. But so far, opposing hitters are 8-for-8 on steal attempts against him, making Herrera one of just four qualifying catchers without a caught stealing to their credit.
In an injury-riddled 2025 -- Herrera missed more than a month with a left knee injury and missed several more weeks with a left hamstring strain -- opposing basestealers were 10-for-10 against the St. Louis backstop. Herrera is well aware of the numbers.
“I need to earn that respect back,” Herrera said. “I haven’t thrown anybody out. Once I start doing that, maybe people will stop stealing.”
This year, Herrera feels as confident as ever about his blocking and game-calling skills and said his efforts on improving his framing are paying off. The Cardinals are noticing: Manager Oliver Marmol said the catcher is “doing a tremendous job” defensively, and McGreevy -- who’s had Herrera as his catcher since 2023 in the Minor Leagues -- concurred.
“I never really thought he was a defensive problem in years past,” McGreevy said. “Obviously, the injuries set you back in a way.”
They certainly haven’t hindered Herrera offensively: The catcher had a fine year at the plate in 2025, posting a .284/.373/.464 slash line with 19 home runs in 107 games. He’s largely carried over that success this season, taking an .801 OPS and an on-base percentage sitting near .400 into Tuesday’s series opener against Pittsburgh.
“He does a really nice job with the strike zone,” Marmol said. “His swing decisions are good. He rarely chases and looks to certain spots to do damage. He knows what he’s looking for when he’s out there. He doesn’t leave the zone very often.”
Herrera certainly has a strong grasp of the strike zone, which has come in handy as a catcher with the implementation of the ABS Challenge System in 2026. He has won six of his 10 challenges as a hitter and 15 of 20 as a catcher, good for a +1.5 run value for St. Louis.
Add to that to the value he provides with his bat, and Herrera is easily on pace for his best season in the big leagues. As the Cards’ regular designated hitter when he’s not catching, Herrera has already accrued 1.3 Baseball-Reference WAR, more than half of his 2025 total (2.2).
He’s also appeared in all of St. Louis’ 46 games. For a player who totaled just 203 games across his first four seasons, that’s a great sign -- as is the fact Herrera gets to spend more time behind the plate in 2026.
“It feels good to be out there catching and playing every day, too,” Herrera said. “I play every game. That’s something I’ve never done in my career, and I’m excited to keep doing it the whole year.”