Six games, 11 hits.
It’s been a good week for St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera, who is a veritable hitting machine. Over the past week, he’s had 11 hits, including a double and a homer and driven in five runs while striking out just three times. He’s extended his hitting streak to eight games, raised his average from .355 to .429, and helped the Cardinals go 4-2, taking three-game series from both the Philadelphia Phillies and their in-state rival Kansas City Royals.
For all of those reasons, Herrera is World Baseball Network’s International MLB Player of the Week.
A native of Panama City, Panama, Herrera has played parts of the last three seasons in St. Louis, often finding himself shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Memphis and the big club. He played a career-high 72 games in the majors last year, batting .301/.372/.428, producing a respectable five homers and 27 RBIs, but still has been back and forth to Memphis this year, appearing in six games in Triple-A, batting .391/.391/.565 during a rehab assignment in early May after left knee inflammation put him on the Injured List in early April.
His production at Triple-A suggested he was ready to return to St. Louis, and since he’s returned to the Gateway City, he’s shined.
Granted, it’s a small sample size for Herrera thus far this season. He’s only appeared in 15 MLB games, eight of them coming since his return from Memphis. But Herrera’s production indicates the Panamanian may finally be breaking through at the MLB level. On April 2, he hit three homers in the Cardinals’ 12-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels, becoming the second Panamanian with a three-homer game in MLB.
Just 24 years of age, Herrera has already built a solid resume outside of MLB, having appeared in three Caribbean Series for Panama, most recently in 2024 when he batted .357/.486/.714 as the Federales de Chiriqui took third place in Miami, and played for Panama at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
He’s expected to be the starting catcher for Panama at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and if his numbers thus far in 2025 are indicative of what’s ahead, he’ll be a big piece of Panama’s offense.
While he’s no longer eligible for the National League Rookie of the Year award, Herrera is primed for a breakout year with the Cardinals.
Photo: Ivan Herrera watches his double during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Friday, May 16, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
