Inside The Cardinals

Talented Slugger Called Cardinals' 'Most Valuable Young Player'

The Cardinals have quite a bit of talent.
Zach Pressnell|
May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
May 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (48) reacts after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals have quite a lot of young talent on their roster and in their farm system. While they might not be World Series contenders this season, the future has quite the potential to be bright.

Of their talented young players, some hold more value than others, partly because of age, potential, or position.

Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently called Iván Herrera the 'most valuable young player' on the Cardinals.

"As far as young bats go, unless Jordan Walker figures things out, there is not a right-handed bat that could become a middle-of-the-order option that is not named Willson Contreras," Jacobs wrote. "So, Herrera holds special value for this Cardinals club as it balances itself long-term, and he looks like he'll be the centerpiece of that lineup moving forward.

"Herrera's development is the number one storyline I am watching for during the rest of the 2025 campaign. If he truly is the kind of player I think he is, this changes so much for this Cardinals club, and truly sets up Chaim Bloom to hit the ground running in 2026 with a strong young core headlined by a true superstar talent in Herrera."

If Herrera sticks as a catcher, it's hard to argue there will be a more valuable player to the team. The Cardinals are getting incredible offensive production from a player who plays a defensive-first position.

If Herrera slides into an everyday designated hitter role, I would take players like Masyn Winn and Victor Scott II as more valuable to the team, but that's not to undermine Herrera's value as a hitter.

As of now, the Cardinals are getting incredible production from the slugger and that doesn't look to be changing anytime soon.

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Zach Pressnell
ZACH PRESSNELL

Zach Pressnell has experience covering all major US sports at both the professional and collegiate levels. He’s produced content for FanSided, Blog Red Machine, The Game Haus, Bethany College Athletics and the Bethany College online newspaper, He graduated from Bethany College (WV) with a degree in Communications and Media Arts, specializing in Sports Journalism. Pressnell was also a four-year member of the baseball team where he earned himself All-PAC recognition as a pitcher (and a cool Tommy John surgery scar). Now, Pressnell specializes in NFL and MLB coverage for Sports Illustrated’s “On SI” network among others. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "St. Louis Cardinals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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