Free extension for sports fans

2026 St. Louis Cardinals Player Grades

The 2026 season for the St. Louis Cardinals has come to a close. We were told this team wouldn’t prioritize “winning over everything” after jettisoning several veterans in the offseason. What came of that was a season in which we…

Published: Tuesday, 29 September 2026 at 11:00 AM
2026 St. Louis Cardinals Player Grades
Key Things to Know
  • Jake Wood issued season grades for St. Louis Cardinals catchers following the 2026 MLB season.
  • Ivan Herrera received a C- grade after batting .243 with 1.4 fWAR across the full campaign.
  • Jimmy Crooks forced his way into the catching rotation around eight weeks into the season.
The Story in 60 Seconds

Jake Wood evaluated the St. Louis Cardinals catchers following the conclusion of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. The assessment compares the actual production of roster catchers against Dan Szymborski's pre-season ZiPS projections from FanGraphs. The evaluation focuses on Ivan Herrera, Pedro Pages, and the emergence of rookie Jimmy Crooks during the campaign.

Herrera received a C- grade after posting a .243 batting average and 1.4 fWAR over an injury-free season as a catcher and designated hitter. Pages finished with a .213 batting average and 0.4 fWAR across limited appearances after Crooks entered the rotation, reducing Pages' playing time to third catcher for roughly two-thirds of the year.

Never Miss a Sports Update

Get the latest sports news and top stories from MySportsTab delivered straight to your inbox.

No spam. Just the latest sports news and updates.