Iván Herrera

Iván Aaron Herrera

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 220 lb.

• Debut May 24, 2022

• Born June 1, 2000 in Ciudad de Panamá Panama

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Biographical Information

Catcher Ivan Herrera reached the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals during the 2022 season as one of many men to serve as an understudy to the great Yadier Molina. He only appeared in 11 games in what was Molina's final season, going 2 for 18. In 2023, with Willson Contreras having been signed to be the primary backstop, he again played a few games for the big league team, hitting .297 in 13 games. He also was the Cardinals' minor league hitter of the year that season. Andrew Knizner was the primary back-up that season, however, he moved to the Texas Rangers after the season, leaving Iván as the main back-up to Contreras.

On April 4, 2024, Herrera got the chance to start for the Cardinals in their home opener against the Miami Marlins, as Contreras was sidelined with a minor injury. He had been inserted into the line-up so late that he just took over Contreras' spot as the clean-up hitter, as Oliver Marmol did not want to shuffle his other players around with so little advance notice. He took advantage of this opportunity to hit his first career home run in the 2nd inning off Ryan Weathers, a massive 414-foot blast to left field, and he added a run-scoring single during a five-run 7th inning rally, ending up as the hero of St. Louis, 7-5 win. There had been little doubt about his ability as a hitter coming up through the ranks, but there were some questions about his defensive work, and Molina had worked extensively with him after his retirement to ensure he would be ready to play in the big leagues when the call came.

Further Reading

• John Denton: "Ready for 'The Show': Herrera hammers 1st career HR: Cardinals prospect thrives in home opener after becoming late lineup addition", mlb.com, April 4, 2024. [1]

Related Sites

• Ivan Herrera on mlb.com