Iván Herrera DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera had himself a day in Wednesday's 12-5 win over the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Busch Stadium to avoid a three-game sweep. Herrera went 3-for-4 with three home runs, six RBI, three runs scored, a walk and a strikeout to become the first Cardinals catcher in franchise history to hit three homers in a game. The 24-year-old backstop will split playing time behind the dish with Pedro Pages in St. Louis, but it's clear that he's the much better bat and should be in the starting lineup more often than not. The Red Birds could also use him frequently as the designated hitter to keep his bat in the lineup on days that he doesn't catch. The Panama native is off to an excellent start to the 2025 season, as he came into Wednesday's game hitting .364 (4-for-11 with two doubles and two RBI in four games played.

St. Louis Cardinals backup catcher Pedro Pages will draw the start on Tuesday against the Angels, and Ivan Herrera will be on the bench. Both have had success early on this season, but it is Pages who has left the yard between the two of them. Pages is 3-for-6 with a home run, three RBI, three runs scored, and no walks or strikeouts thus far. The 26-year-old backstop has faced opposing pitcher Kyle Hendricks twice in the past, going 0-for-2 against the veteran pitcher. The righty was solid this spring, but last season the 35-year-old pitched to a 5.92 ERA, 1.45 ERA, and a 7.8 percent K-BB% -- all career worsts. Pages would appear to be in play as a viable and cheap DFS play, although there are hopefully better options available for season-long fantasy.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera is not in Sunday's lineup when the Cardinals conclude a series against the Minnesota Twins. Herrera started behind the plate in each of the first two games of the campaign. At the plate, Herrera enjoyed a hot start as he went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a 1:2 BB:K. He tallied two RBI and scored once. Instead, the Cardinals will turn to Pedro Pages to catch St. Louis right-hander Andre Pallante. Fantasy managers should expect Herrera to continue to be the primary backstop in St. Louis, and he will likely return to the starting nine on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels. Last season, the 24-year-old posted a strong .301/.372/.428 slash line with five long balls and five stolen bases. Given his hot start, he is a strong No. 2 catcher in two-catcher formats going forward.