Cardinals Young Star Gaining Steam As Franchise Cornerstone

The St. Louis Cardinals have a lot of young talent on their roster, but not every piece has stood out this season. In fact, the Cardinals have a lot of players underperforming this season.

But there are some standouts among the team. Brendan Donovan was an All-Star and looks to be a franchise cornerstone. Masyn Winn is putting together quite the impressive defensive season. But there are more stars on the team than the media is giving credit to.

Scott Plaza of Redbird Rants recently shared some high praise for catcher Pedro Pages because of how well he's played this season.

Pedro Pages turning heads with breakout season for Cardinals

Aug 13, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages (43) hits a two run double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

"Finally, perhaps the most surprising of the group is catcher Pedro Pages. While he has received plenty of playing time over the past two seasons, the Cardinals seem committed to Pages for the rest of this season, and he could be playing his way into the top of the catching depth chart for the 2026 season," Plaza wrote. "The Cardinals have two catching prospects within the top 100, and their Triple-A starter, Jimmy Crooks, has been on honorable mention lists throughout the year. Pages was in a miserable stretch for the better part of a month, but August has brought out a completely different hitter.

"On the season, Pages is hitting .228, and that is actually a massive step up, thanks to his huge month. In 11 games, the current starting catcher is slashing a ridiculous .417/.488/.750 for a 1.238 OPS, boosted by three homers and three doubles, and a team-leading 11 RBIs this month. He has drawn walks and struck out at improved rates so far while also tightening up the run game behind the plate. If he stays on this path, it would be a surprise to see the Cardinals force Ivan Herrera back into the catching gear or become aggressive with their catcher prospects."

Pages has held his own at the big-league level with former catcher Willson Contreras moving to first base and young slugger Iván Herrera manning the designated hitter slot more often than not.

Pages' breakout this season makes the catching situation a bit weird for the Cardinals. St. Louis moved Contreras to first base to free up a spot for Herrera. Then, it moved Herrera to DH to free up a spot for Pages. Now, the Cardinals have a handful of talented catching prospects banging on the door of the big leagues.

It'll be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle the prospects, given how impressive Pages has been.

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