The St. Louis Cardinals have maximized their talent by shuffling the catcher position in 2025. In the wake of Paul Goldschmidt leaving the team in free agency, the Cardinals shifted longtime catcher Willson Contreras to first base. Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages are the team’s new catchers. The change has helped the Cardinals to a strong start to the season.
Herrera is the Cardinals Best Batter
Herrera has shined the brightest in the shuffle with more playing time. The 24-year-old has been the Cardinals best batter when he’s been healthy. Herrera is slashing .370/.442/.658 with a 1.099 OPS in 22 games this season. Even after missing nearly a month with a knee injury, Herrera is among the team leaders in home runs with six and RBI with 25.
Among players with at least 80 at-bats this season, Herrera is second in the League in WRC+ at 203. He is behind only Aaron Judge with the New York Yankees. He is swinging the bat four miles per hour faster than league average. His average bat speed of 75.4 miles per hour is two miles per hour improved from last year.
Herrera is also performing very well in the clutch. Among all players who have had at least 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Herrera leads the league in batting average with .500. He has taken 24 at-bats with runners in scoring position and collected 12 hits, four of those for extra bases.
“Ivan is a great hitter,” Contreras told MLB.com’s John Denton after a 10-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals, where Herrera had a three-run double. “He just needed game time. Hopefully, he will stay healthy the rest of the season, because he makes a great impact on this lineup.”
Contreras Excelling Offensively and Defensively
The longtime catcher moved to a new position this season for two reasons: to fill the hole at first base and to stay healthy. Contreras had an injury-plagued 2024 season. When he played, he was the Cardinals’ most effective bat. After a slow start, he has returned to his role as one of the Cardinals’ best offensive weapons.
Contreras is slashing .245/.325/.388 with a .714 OPS this season. The first baseman is the team leader in RBI with 29 and tied for second on the team in home runs with six. He has the eighth fastest average bat speed in the League at 76 miles per hour. Contreras is a dangerous bat in the Cardinals’ lineup.
On top of his offense, Contreras’ defense has been a pleasant surprise. He is third in the league in outs above average at first base at three. The first-year first baseman is also tied for fourth in the League at the position in fielding run value according to Baseball Savant.
“He might be one of the best first basemen I’ve ever seen,” Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas told reporters after a 1-0 win over the Royals on May 17. “I knew he’d be bodying it up, and I knew he’d be picking it, but his range and his arm — he’s doing something special there at first base. I think he’s surprising a lot of people. Probably not himself. He knows how good he is.”
Pages Holding His Own as Second Cardinals Catcher, Defensive Option
With Herrera spending more and more time at DH, and with him missing time with injury, Pages has stepped in as the team’s regular catcher. Herrera has started 13 games at DH and eight at catcher this season. In contrast, Pages has started 35 games at catcher this season. He has a great rapport with the Cardinals pitching staff and has played stellar defense.
Pages is 10th in the League at fielding run value according to Baseball Savant. He is also 12th in the league at catcher in caught stealing above average. Pages isn’t among the league leaders in pitch framing, but he is above league average.
While Pages isn’t a major factor with his bat, he’s good enough to support his defensive ability as the Cardinals catcher. He is slashing .217/.250/.372 with a .5 WAR and four home runs. Moving Contreras to first base solved two problems for the Cardinals, getting playing time for Herrera and Pages and filling the gap left by former MVP Goldschmidt.
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