So far this year, catcher/designated hitter Ivan Herrera has spent most of his time hitting sixth in the lineup. This year, he has had 51 plate appearances, 39 of which have come from the six hole. He has been batting in the back half of the lineup this season when healthy.
That must change quickly.
St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol needs to move Ivan Herrera up in the lineup
Herrera was given the opportunity to bat second in the lineup after on-base powerhouse Lars Nootbaar just before he suffered an injury. In his lone game in the two-hole against the Boston Red Sox, Herrera grounded into a double play and walked once. He has only reached sixth in the lineup since his comeback.
He’ll still receive four plate appearances in the majority of games, and he’ll even hit behind well-known hitters like Alec Burleson, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado. Oliver Marmol, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, must move Herrera up in the lineup if he hopes to elevate the team’s top-10 offensive.
The slash line of the number four position cardinal batters is.263/.339/.427, which is a respectable line for hitters who are usually power hitters. This season, Nolan Arenado has held that position solely, and he is only hitting.253 there with a 104 wRC+ and.731 OPS. Again, not fantastic, but fine.
Ivan Herrera is now slashing after putting on another outstanding effort on Friday night against the Kansas City Royals. 419/.480/.907 with an OPS of 1.387. He has already hit six doubles and five home runs while striking out just nine times. Ivan Herrera has been the offensive spark plug this season when he has been in the lineup.
Herrera would be directly behind Lars Nootbaar, Masyn Winn, and Brendan Donovan, three batters who could all hit leadoff in any other lineup, if he were moved up to the #4 position in the batting order. The total on-base percentage for the three is.375. When Herrera bats at any time throughout the game, there’s a good likelihood that at least one of them is on base. Now, he has the best chance of driving them in and taking the lead early in the game.
In addition, Herrera is among the team’s top hitters with 4.28 pitches per plate appearance this season. He’s a perfect cleanup hitter because of his patience and outstanding power to open the year. His accomplishments, attitude, and drive are contagious.
It makes sense to move Nolan Arenado lower in the lineup because he is nearing the end of his career. Herrera has demonstrated that he adds more value higher in the lineup, even if Arenado has only had a.699 OPS from this position during his career.
The Cardinals’ top hitter at the moment is Ivan Herrera. Herrera isn’t making the most of his offensive abilities despite being in sixth place in the batting order. Oliver Marmol should move Herrera up a position or two in the lineup if he wants to unleash something from his batters and elevate the offense. Herrera is able to take advantage of the batters in front of him in the lineup as a result.
