Ivan Herrera is becoming appointment watching when he goes up to the plate. The catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals is one of the top hitters in baseball, with an average of.385. In addition to being very appreciative of Herrera, sports journalist and “Cardinal Territory” podcast host Bernie Miklasz and Katie Woo made a wink-wink, nudge-nudge connection between Herrera’s style of play and Albert Pujols’.
Although Miklasz did not specifically name Pujols, it was evident that he was comparing Herrera to El Hombre when he said that Herrera was like “a guy I met for the first time in 2001” and when he later tried to warn people against going too out over their skis about the 24-year-old.
Miklasz mentioned that Herrera’s style of play resembles that of Pujols
Although it is obviously unrealistic to expect Herrera’s career to ever approach that of the best right-handed hitter of his generation, Miklasz noted that their primary similarities were in their demeanors at the plate, including their intelligence, demeanor, and physical attributes. Herrera hits for contact and power while collecting a good amount of walks. He has an extraordinary feel for swinging the bat and seems to have no limitations at the dish. Among players with at least 40 plate appearances, he leads the major leagues in wRC+ (254); the legendary Aaron Judge is one point behind him.
After missing a month due to an injury, Herrera has quickly adjusted and hit.389 since his return on May 9. He has also hammered nine extra-base hits in 12 games.
The obvious analogy is Pujols, but a more realistic one is former Cardinals first baseman and outfielder Allen Craig, who was the first legitimate middle-of-the-order bat the Cardinals had produced since Yadier Molina and the most recent until Herrera’s explosion put him in the same category. Before a leg injury ended his career, Craig was a reliable.300 hitter with pop that could have reached 25 home runs in a season had he been healthy.
The defense is where the Pujols analogies fall short. Herrera needs to improve significantly to be regarded as an average catcher, even though the Machine earned two Gold Glove Awards at first base. Since he hasn’t thrown out a runner taking a base in 2025 and has already allowed seven stolen bases, his arm is a serious liability.
The Cardinals could think about moving Pujols from left field to first base, like they did with him in his early career. Herrera may end up as a designated hitter because he is shorter than the ideal first baseman at 5’11”. The Cardinals shouldn’t make him a full-time DH at this point, though, since he still has a potential to improve his defense. To show how much a young athlete can develop on the pitch with the correct coaching, fans simply need to look at Jordan Walker.
Herrera has the potential to have a genuinely remarkable career, even if he will probably never achieve Pujols’ Herculean accomplishments. He might be the Cardinals’ finest growth story in at least ten years.
