Under the Radar: Fantasy Baseball’s Next Great Catcher

While he may not be available on many waiver wires – in fact, he’s rostered in 97% of Fantrax leagues at the time of writing – St. Louis catcher Ivan Herrera is quickly turning into the next great fantasy baseball catcher. He can contribute in all categories and has a secure role.

After Cal Raleigh was routinely being drafted in the eighth and ninth rounds in 2025, he went on to have the best offensive season a catcher has ever seen and was taken in the second round this year. Drake Baldwin then announced his presence with authority as the next great catcher early this year, and his draft stock has shot up. Ivan Herrera is definitely next.

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Finding fantasy production at catcher can be easier said than done, especially in deep leagues or two-catcher leagues. Cal Raleigh, Salvador Perez, and William Contreras have been among the few consistent catchers for fantasy managers over the last three years. With Raleigh and Perez starting slowly (and injured) in 2026, it’s names like Drake Baldwin, Shea Langeliers, and Ben Rice that are taking over, but Ivan Herrera might be just as valuable as all of them.

Herrera, whose ADP hovered around pick 176 this pre-season, is well-positioned to go from an 18th-round pick this year to a fifth or sixth-round pick in fantasy baseball in 2027. Here’s why he will continue to soar up the fantasy ranks this season.

Why Ivan Herrera Will Be a Top-50 Draft Pick in 2027

Ivan Herrera is entering his age-26 season (he turns 26 on June 1). This is a time when many catchers reach their prime. With Pedro Pages on the roster, Ivan Herrera is a fixture in the Cardinals’ lineup, even on days he does not catch. He now serves as the primary DH, but has already caught 19 games this year, which is within a game of him retaining that eligibility next season.

Herrera has hit second in literally every game this season (he hasn’t missed a contest) and has been the DH on the days he does not catch. Despite being drafted outside the top 170 overall in many drafts, Herrera could easily finish in the top 40 this year.

Let’s dive deeper into why Herrera is off to such a hot start right now in fantasy baseball.

Herrera’s First Two Seasons Hinted at His Upside

Ivan Herrera’s 2024 rookie season (72 games, even though he had a combined 24 games in 2022 and 2023) offered a strong start that hinted at significant offensive upside. Across 259 plate appearances, Herrera posted a 128 wRC+, a mark that immediately placed him among the most productive players at the position. That production wasn’t fluky, either; his .351 wOBA and .370 xwOBA were in sync, suggesting his quality of plate appearances supported his results.

Iván Herrera with his first career HR!pic.twitter.com/a7Agc13b8v

— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) April 4, 2024

This synergy between expected and actual outcomes is often a key indicator of sustainable performance, reinforcing the idea that Herrera’s offensive breakout in 2023 (.301/.372/.428) was real rather than something as a result of luck, or something that can’t be repeated.

He repeated with a strong performance in 2025, putting up .284/.373/.464 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI in 107 games. Herrera’s Statcast profile showed upside as well. He recorded an 89.4 mph average exit velocity and a 43% hard-hit rate last year, along with an 11.0% barrel rate in 2024 and 8% in 2025.

His strong 20% strikeout rate, combined with solid power output, was also encouraging. And now he has improved his strikeout rate every season since his official rookie year. But what he is doing now in 2026 improves on these strong metrics from last season and adds some other category juice that sets him apart.

Elite Discipline and Bat Speed

Herrera is now in the 75th percentile or better in bat speed, expected batting average, expected wOBA, walk rate, and strikeout rate. Those improved advanced metrics have directly led to his six home runs, his 25 RBI, and his .435 slugging percentage (sixth-best in all of baseball among qualified catchers), and he has an OPS over .800 already.

His improved bat speed has also helped cut down his strikeouts to an elite level. So far, Herrera is only striking out in 16.7% of his plate appearances. It’s a long way to go, but if he were to stay around 16% for the season, that would be like the numbers Adley Rutschman put up in his elite seasons in 2023 and 2024. Herrera also has a 13% walk rate, which is the best among all qualified catchers.

Surprisingly Good Lineup Around Herrera

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a surprising start with the bats in 2026, despite there being speculation that they might be the worst team in the National League in 2026. So far, in addition to Herrera, the Braves have four other players with a wRC+ over 100 who have at least 60 plate appearances. That means over 50% of their lineup is better than league average.

The scary thing about that number is it doesn’t include Nolan Gorman or Nathan Church, who are both off to mediocre starts, but have shown some big production. If their performance picks up in the days to come, this could quickly become the most surprising lineup in all of baseball.

Ivan Herrera walks it off and the tarps off crowd in St. Louis is LOVING IT! pic.twitter.com/BpWZXjZvXr

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) May 20, 2026

And to reemphasize, Herrera does not have a lineup spot in the bottom half of the order, like most catchers. He hits second in this lineup, and he has played literally every day. For a catcher, you can’t ask for more.

Expected Numbers Show This Could Get Even Better

While we can’t really ask for more (Herrera even has a couple of steals and eight steals in 2025), it is possible we could get even more. Despite a current .267 batting average and a .367 wOBA, Herrera’s expected statistics in both categories are slightly higher, according to Statcast.

In fact, despite already having a .368 wOBA, one of the best marks in baseball at the position, Statcast believes that number speaks for itself and is fully supported. In the FanGraphs Player Rater over the last 30 days, Ivan Herrera is the sixth-best fantasy baseball hitter.

With all of this, he is in some pretty elite company.

Catchers in the Top Five of Average, wOBA, xwOBA, and wRC+:

1. Shea Langeliers
2. Ben Rice
3. Drake Baldwin
4. Ivan Herrera

When we talk about the new generation of catchers with Rice, Langeliers, and Baldwin, we have to include Herrera now. But Herrera is one of the few who are underperforming where their stats say their numbers should be, while others are outperforming their metrics.

You can also just look at Herrera’s .304 BABIP this year (career .329) to see how he has been unlucky despite all of the success this year. Herrera has unnatural speed for a catcher, so his legs should get him some extra hits as well as steals that are so rare at the position.

Through the first two months, it’s all working for him. Production, lineup, health, skills. Everything is working. If it keeps up, I’m here to tell you Ivan Herrera will be drafted in the fifth or sixth round in 2027.