Cardinals' Leonardo Bernal Turning Heads in World Baseball Classic

The St. Louis Cardinals catcher had a big day in the World Baseball Classic.

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal (13) during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals are loaded in the catching department, to say the least.

Of all of the position groups in the organization, catcher arguably is the deepest. Iván Herrera was a top prospect for the organization and has shown that he can be an electric piece in the middle of the order, but it's not even clear how much he's going to catch in 2026 after not getting much time at the position in 2025 as he dealt with injuries.

Pedro Pagés is just 27 years old and showed in 2025 that he can be a solid contributor to this organization, whether as a starter or in a depth role. The Cardinals also have Yohel Pozo as a veteran in the organization. Beyond this group, the Cardinals have No. 8 prospect Jimmy Crooks, who made his big league debut in 2025 plus No. 3 prospect Rainiel Rodriguez and No. 6 prospect Leonardo Bernal.

The Cardinals catcher is someone to watch

Feb 16, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Leonardo Bernal (13) catches a pitch during spring training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Crooks arguably should be in line for an Opening Day spot. Rodriguez is just 19 years old and isn't likely to make the jump to the majors for a bit. Bernal, on the other hand, is 22 years old and isn't far from the big leagues himself. He saw action in Double-A in 2025 and certainly is going to be someone to keep an eye on this season down in the minors.

Cardinals fans aren't going to be able to see him in action a ton, but thankfully the World Baseball Classic is going on right now. Bernal is representing Panama and does have an opportunity to play on the world stage right now.

Panama took on Cuba on Friday and although they lost, 3-1, Bernal had a big day. The young Cardinals catcher went 2-for-4 and scored the lone run for Panama.

Now, again, he's not someone likely in the mix for Opening Day, but he's someone Cardinals fans should get to know. He can hit. The World Baseball Classic will give fans the opportunity to see him in action and the fanbase certainly should be tuning in.