Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals Slugger Is Making Front Office's Decisions Impossible

The Cardinals certainly have some talent knocking on the big league door
Patrick McAvoy|
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals' depth at the catcher position clearly is being tested right now.

Iván Herrera is out after injuring his knee and the Cardinals' options on the big league roster currently are Pedro Pagés and Yohel Pozo. The Cardinals obviously have Willson Contreras as well, but have made it clear that they are not moving him back to catcher.

When Herrera went down with his injury, it immediately led to the question as to when the team could call up No. 4 prospect Jimmy Crooks. MLB.com is currently estimating that he will make his big league debut in 2025 and there may not be as a clear as an option as right now. But, the team recently shared that they aren't looking to rush anyone up to the majors.

That's a perfectly fair idea. The 2025 Major League Baseball season is still young and you definitely don't want to rush someone up to either have an inconsistent role or bounce back and forth between the majors and the minors.

Crooks is going to make the decision tough, though. He's played in just seven games so far this season but has been great. He's slashing .286/.333/.536 with 2 home runs, 10 RBIs, eight total base hits, seven runs scored, two walks, and a double. He's done a little bit of everything so far this season.

It's a small sample size, but if he keeps it up, it's going to be hard for St. Louis to keep him in the minors.

More MLB: Cardinals Phenom Racks Up First Breakout Game Of Season

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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