Iván Herrera Sends Warning to Cardinals Doubters Ahead of Opening Day

Not all will believe, but Herrera thinks they should

Sep 19, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after hitting a single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Iván Herrera might be emerging as a great spokesperson for his young St. Louis Cardinals team.

At just 25 years old, Herrera showed the league what he was all about last season, posting an .837 OPS in 107 games. That included 19 home runs after the catcher-turned-designated-hitter entered the season with just five in his breif major league career.

Quickly, Herrera has become one of the most well-known and even senior players on this team, as the Cardinals traded away many of their veterans over the winter. However, the young slugger does not believe his team's inexperience should be mistaken for incompetence.

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Herrera says Cardinals have "great talent"

Sep 21, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Ivan Herrera (48) tosses his bat after hitting a two run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

On Monday, Herrera had something of a warning message for the various pundits and projection artists who have seemed to prognosticate a losing season and a finish near the bottom of the National League Central standings for the Redbirds this year.

“Dude, people keep saying that we are young, but if you look position-by-position, we have guys with great talent,” Herrera said, per Bill Ladson of MLB.com. “We have Masyn Winn at shortstop.

"I don’t know if JJ (Wetherholt) is going to make the team, but this kid has been impressive. He has his confidence in the box. He is taking great at-bats. At the end of the day, you want a guy like that on your team. Burly (Alec Burleson) just won a Silver Slugger. We have a good group of guys. We are going to compete this year."

The group Herrera describes above adds up to a tough half of a lineup that can ruin any contending team's night, or maybe even their whole road trip. But to truly deliver on the message that St. Louis won't be a pushover in the grand scheme of things, the Cardinals will need some unexpected contributors, both in the lineup and on the pitching staff, to step up.

Regardless, the Cardinals have to love seeing Herrera standing up for his guys. If he keeps growing as a leader and approaches 30 homers this season, he'll have done his part to push the organization into its new era.