Biggest Overreactions From Cardinals' 2026 Season as Rebuild Continues

The 2026 season was a fun one for the young St. Louis Cardinals, despite the fact that it didn't end in a playoff appearance.

St. Louis let the kids play and got to see development in real time, like Jordan Walker turning into a star after a tough few years. In general, the 2026 season was a step in the right direction for the club overall. But with the season now over, let's break down a few overreactions from the campaign.

Ivan Herrera's Offensive Step Backwards

Sep 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When it comes to Herrera, his biggest strength is his offensive production. From 2023 through 2025, Herrera slashed .291/.375/.445 with an .820 OPS, 24 home runs and 97 RBIs in 192 total games played. In 2026, he hit 19 home runs and drove in 69 runs, which are both career highs, or tied for his career best. But his batting average took a nosedive to .241 and his OPS dropped to .735. Arguably, this shouldn't necessarily be concerning for Cardinals fans, though. Again, the power numbers and RBIs were there. Plus, he stayed healthy and played in a career-high 161 games. Before the 2026 season, the most games he had played in a season was 107.

When you have a jump like that, you're going to see a bit of a change in production. His advanced metrics were still very solid and he's still just 26 years old. He's going to be just fine.

Riley O'Brien's Second-Half Struggles

Sep 19, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) delivers against the Washington Nationals during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Like Herrera, O'Brien was a first-time All-Star in 2026. The 31-year-old finished the season tied with Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres for the National League lead in saves with 38. He finished the campaign with a 4.08 ERA, though. On Aug. 20, he had a 2.94 ERA. He then had a blowup on Aug. 23 where he allowed six earned runs. That skewed his numbers for the season. After that, he had a 4.76 ERA in his final 12 outings of the season. The end of the campaign wasn't great, but this is another guy who set a new career-high in appearances. O'Brien pitched in 66 games. Before the 2026 season, his career-high was 42 games, which he set in 2025. Before that, his career high was eight games.

Luis Gastelum's Early Struggles After Being Promoted

Sep 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luis Gastelum (72) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Luis Gastelum tore it up in the minors and earned a promotion to the big leagues for the first time in 2026. His debut came on July 8. He had an 8.10 ERA on Aug. 8 after 12 appearances. In his final 22 outings, he had a 2.31 ERA.

The Catching Situation

Sep 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) reacts on the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The catching situation was talked about all season with Herrera, Pedro Pages and then young guys, including Leo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks. Herrera got a shot to show what he can do. Pages stuck around as a depth piece. Both Crooks and Bernal got shots in the big leagues. The whole point of the 2026 season was seeing what the club had. Herrera isn't great defensively. Crooks' bat didn't heat up. Pages was a depth piece who is good with the pitchers. Bernal was a great two-way player once he was promoted.

This shouldn't be a massive deal heading into the 2026 season in large part because Bernal broke out and showed what he can do. He should be the guy and then the Cardinals should have a primary backup behind him. Simple as that. The point of the season was development and it got to learn things about all four of these guys.

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