The St. Louis Cardinals have won 7 of their last 10 games and are still able to accumulate victories. Even so, there is undoubtedly space for improvement, and catcher is one position the front office should be closely monitoring.
Iván Herrera is making an effort, but he hasn’t yet mastered the bat. In 20 games, his on-base percentage is.387 despite his batting average of.200. With eighteen walks, he leads the National League. In addition, he has ten RBIs and two home runs. Herrera has 18 walks compared to 12 strikeouts. If he can maintain that level of performance, the remaining offensive numbers will follow.
The Cardinals Must Make A Jimmy Crooks Choice
Pedro Pagés, on the other side, has one home run and five RBIs while slashing.211/.262/.342 in 13 games. In just six games, Yohel Pozo is slashing.133/.133/.200. The team has performed well, but by elevating Jimmy Crooks to play alongside Herrera, it could be much better, at least offensively.
Because he’s just ripping the cover from the ball, he’s been receiving some attention this season. Crooks is hitting.291/.418/.636 with six home runs and twelve RBIs in 15 games against Triple-A Memphis. Against the Gwinnett Stripers on Friday night, he hit two more home runs.
Once more, Crooks has received some attention this season. Not that his production isn’t well-known. It’s easy to understand why Crooks has been the talk of the team’s supporters throughout the season.
This is the perfect moment to see what he can accomplish in the major leagues. The eighth-best prospect on the club is Crooks. The Cardinals’ No. 3 prospect, Rainiel Rodriguez, is currently down in High-A, while their No. 6 prospect, Leo Bernal, is also down in Triple-A. Catcher has a limited amount of time.
Herrera will be involved. The Cardinals must test Crooks’ ability to translate those explosive minor league numbers to the major leagues. The same will eventually be said of Rodriguez and Bernal. Before those other talks start, the Cardinals have a chance to give Crooks a chance. The Cardinals will probably need to trade someone at some time since there is so much talent at catcher. Making that decision now would be aided by giving Crooks an opportunity.
The eighth-ranked prospect for the Cardinals is quietly becoming a top defender.
Since the St. Louis Cardinals are currently rebuilding, the farm system should receive more attention than big league veterans.
The Cardinals are fortunate to have a strong farm system to look forward to. At the top of the farm system are a few exceptional prospects.
The top defensive prospects for each team were highlighted by Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com. Jimmy Crooks, a catching prospect who is about to receive another call-up to the major leagues, was recognized by the Cardinals.
Jimmy Crooks is a superb defensive receiver.
“Crooks got 15 games in the Majors last year, but to open this season, he was pushed back to Triple-A Memphis, where he’s continued to be lights-out when it comes to restricting opposing runners,” they said. “In his eight defensive starts for the Redbirds, he has thrown out four out of ten basestealers. He has recorded five of the six fastest pop times from St. Louis or Memphis backstops thus far in ’26, with one as low as 1.8 seconds. Crooks, 24, should contribute to the major league team’s catching depth once more this summer because he moves well enough to be a reliable blocker and framer as well.
In the whole Cardinals organization, Crooks is the best defensive catcher. He has one of the best pop timings in all of the lower leagues and is an effective blocker. He undoubtedly possesses the most reliable pop time for the Cardinals. However, past season, his hitting wasn’t good enough to stay in the major leagues.
Additionally, the Cardinals have a strong depth of catchers. Crooks is currently being blocked by Pedro Pages, Iván Herrera, and Yohel Pozo on the Cardinals squad. However, he has significantly increased his output at the plate.
Jimmy Crooks is also developing as a batter.
Crooks may get another chance to play in the major leagues this season because he has performed far better at the plate in Triple-A than he did with the Cardinals last year.
Crooks has hit four home runs in 13 games this season while slashing.292/.404/.563. The Cardinals will have no choice but to promote him to the major leagues if he keeps heading in this path and combines it with outstanding defense.
Catcher in St. Louis has a promising future. Although Crooks is the Cardinals’ next great catcher, there are still more prospects emerging from the minor leagues.
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