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The 2026 campaign for the St. Louis Cardinals was an enjoyable one for the team's young core, even though it didn't culminate in a playoff berth. The organization allowed its prospects to gain significant playing time, witnessing firsthand the growth of players such as Jordan Walker, who blossomed into a star after enduring some challenging years. Overall, the season represented progress for the franchise.
Now that the season has concluded, it's worth examining a few overreactions that emerged from the campaign.
Ivan Herrera's Offensive Step Backwards
Herrera's primary asset is his bat. From 2023 through 2025, he posted a slash line of .291/.375/.445 with an .820 OPS, 24 home runs, and 97 RBIs across 192 games. In 2026, he set or matched career highs with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs, but his batting average fell to .241 and his OPS dipped to .735. However, this shouldn't necessarily alarm Cardinals fans. The power and RBI numbers were still present, and he remained healthy, playing a career-high 161 games. Before 2026, his highest single-season games total was 107. Such a jump in workload often leads to fluctuations in production. His advanced metrics remained solid, and at just 26 years old, he is poised to be fine.
Riley O'Brien's Second-Half Struggles
Like Herrera, O'Brien earned his first All-Star selection in 2026. The 31-year-old finished tied with Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres for the National League lead in saves with 38. However, he ended the season with a 4.08 ERA. On August 20, his ERA stood at 2.94. Then, on August 23, he allowed six earned runs in a blowup outing that skewed his season numbers. Over his final 12 appearances, he recorded a 4.76 ERA. While the end of the season was rough, O'Brien also set a career high in appearances with 66 games. Before 2026, his career high was 42 games in 2025, and prior to that, just eight games.
Luis Gastelum's Early Struggles After Promotion
Luis Gastelum dominated in the minors and earned his first big-league promotion in 2026. He made his debut on July 8. After 12 appearances, he had an 8.10 ERA on August 8. But in his final 22 outings, he posted a 2.31 ERA.
The Catching Situation
The catching situation was a season-long topic, involving Herrera, Pedro Pages, and young prospects like Leo Bernal and Jimmy Crooks. Herrera got an opportunity to showcase his abilities. Pages served as a depth piece. Both Crooks and Bernal received big-league looks. The entire purpose of the 2026 season was to evaluate the club's talent. Herrera is not strong defensively. Crooks' bat never heated up. Pages was a depth piece who works well with pitchers. Bernal excelled as a two-way player after his promotion. This shouldn't be a major concern heading into 2027 largely because Bernal broke out and demonstrated his potential. He should be the starter, with the Cardinals having a primary backup behind him. It's that simple. The goal of the season was development, and the team learned valuable information about all four catchers.