Cardinals’ Catcher Leo Bernal Off to Blazing Start

With as many talented catchers as the St. Louis Cardinals have brought through their pipeline, the odds were that one would be the long-term solution. And Leo Bernal, who debuted with the club less than two weeks ago, has shown more all-around promise than the organization’s other backstops.

If Bernal can consistently produce at the plate while providing the high-level defensive value that earned him a minor league gold glove, St. Louis could have an answer to its catching conundrum. This could create a trickle-down effect, whether through heightened trade rumors or position switches, but Bernal seems like the clear favorite to be the Cardinals’ catcher of the future.

Not yet experiencing a rough stretch at the plate in his young big-league career, Bernal is off to an amazing start with the bat. He is slashing .292/.346/.521 so far with three homers and 13 runs batted in, and has recorded a hit in nine of his first 10 big-league games. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has three multi-hit games, including his first three-hit night during Friday’s 7-2 win over the White Sox.

And his success doesn’t look like a fluke. Factoring in the small sample size, Bernal is hitting the ball hard in about two of every three balls in play, while routinely putting the ball in the air and showing strong swing decisions.

He also drove in nine runs over his first 10 career games, the highest such total by a Cardinal in that span since it became an official stat in 1920. Bernal’s quality bat lengthens St. Louis’ lineup, now providing consistent production from a position that the team wasn’t getting much from.

With positive campaigns from JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Iván Herrera, and Joshua Báez, Bernal adds another dangerous hitter to a young Cardinals lineup.

Since Yadier Molina retired after the 2022 season, Herrera was the first in the franchise’s current catcher crop to get an opportunity. Although he has been an impressive hitter over the last three years – and was selected to his first All-Star game in June – Herrera still leaves much to be desired defensively.

At this point, whether it be lingering effects from shoulder surgery or halted growth behind the plate, Herrera has been pigeonholed into starting at catcher two games a week max. Even when St. Louis called up Jimmy Crooks to split time with Herrera instead of Pedro Pagés, Pagés still saw decent playing time because of Crooks’ offensive struggles and Herrera’s unreliable defense.

Manager Oliver Marmol has raved about Bernal’s awareness and calmness during games, giving him a high floor, similar to Wetherholt.

Bernal has had some rough plays, like in Colorado, when he fell for a Rockies‘ double-steal attempt and threw the ball into center field. But he also backpicked a runner during that series in Denver, and started an inning-ending double play in San Francisco on a swinging bunt that sent the game to the 11th.

Also showing an ability to limit the run game, Bernal has flashed an average pop time of 1.88 seconds and has been solid at framing and blocking.

That all-encompassing value is why Bernal is regarded as one of the Cardinals’ top prospects, and why he profiles as the franchise’s best catching option.

It is not ideal to have a designated hitter written in pen, and that seems to be where things are headed with Herrera. In other cases, like Kyle Schwarber or Shohei Ohtani, they provide surplus value that makes clogging up the DH spot worth it. But although Herrera is still an above-average hitter, he’s taken a slight step back from the last two years.

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Sep 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leo Bernal (13) follows the flight of his three-run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the third inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Down the stretch in 2025, Herrera made a couple of starts in left field. But with Báez’s emergence, that route seems highly unlikely a season later. Third base is the only position the Cardinals don’t have a clear long-term suitor at, even though Jesús Báez could fill that spot, hitting 39 homers at Double-A Springfield after being acquired in a trade for Ryan Helsley last year.

Rainiel Rodriguez, a 19-year-old catcher, is the organization’s top prospect and one of the best in baseball. He is quickly ascending through the minor leagues and will seemingly start next season at Triple-A Memphis. And at this rate, it wouldn’t be a shock for Rodriguez to debut in the majors sometime in 2027.

If Bernal continues to secure St. Louis’ starting catcher role, an adjustment of some sort is necessary for Herrera, Rodriguez, and Crooks, who was recently optioned back to Triple-A after scuffling immensely.

Having this many catching options is a good problem to have for the Cardinals, but things become clearer with their varying skill sets. A trade seems like the most likely route to clear some of the logjam, with a position change for Herrera and/or Bernal also in the cards.

No matter what the next step is in St. Louis’ catcher journey, it could start with Bernal taking the reins out of the gate and never looking back.