Yadier Molina is one of the best catchers in baseball history and, without a doubt, the best to wear the Birds on the Bat. So, comparing a rising prospect to the St. Louis Cardinals‘ legendary backstop is no light comparison. Geoff Pontes from Baseball America said, “(Bernal) is the true heir to Molina.”
Pontes pointed at Bernal’s progression, year over year, getting better and better at a variety of aspects of his game. The Cardinals’ newest backstop arrived in September and made an immediate impact in the middle of the Cardinals lineup and on the defensive side of the ball as well.
Leo Bernal Dazzled In First MLB Action
On the defensive side, Bernal was a stalwart, winning the Minor League Gold Glove in 2025 as a catcher. He brings a piece that was missing in the attempt to make Ivan Herrera the team’s No. 1 catcher: catch and throw.
Bernal had 25 chances to throw out runners in the 20 games he spent behind home plate for St. Louis this season. He threw out six. Which, on paper, looks light, but when compared to the league average, Bernal was just above the caught-stealing percentage in Major League Baseball this season.
It was not only his glove and arm that were the shining factors for Bernal in the final month of the season, but also his bat.
St. Louis was without depth in their lineup for a good portion of the season. The season started with Masyn Winn batting in the cleanup spot, but with the emergence of Jordan Walker, the lineup started to take shape.
The only issue was that once opponents got past the fourth spot in the St. Louis order, the thump began to disappear. Lars Nootbaar offered some help before the trade deadline, but issues remained.
After Joshua Baez made his electric MLB debut, hitting three home runs in his first three at-bats, it looked like the Cardinals started to get some answers.
Then Bernal arrived, hitting .284 with five home runs and 21 RBIs in 102 plate appearances. Deepening the Cardinals lineup even more and earning his way to be the starting catcher when the 2027 season begins.
St. Louis Cardinals Had A Lengthy Search For Molina’s Successor
It is difficult to immediately find the successor to a long-standing figure on a team; look at the New York Yankees‘ shortstops after Derek Jeter’s retirement. In 2023, the list was 18 players long before Anthony Volpe arrived and well before George Lombard Jr.
Obviously, replacing a franchise staple is difficult, and St. Louis faced that after the 2022 season when Molina walked off the field at Busch Stadium for the final time as a player.
Since then, the Cardinals have signed and traded away Willson Contreras. Have used Pedro Pages, Jimmy Crooks, Herrera, and now Bernal on the same patch of dirt that Molina commanded for 19 years. The 22-year-old Panama-born backstop has a lot of catching up to do if he is to reach the heights that Molina did in his career. But since the retirement of the future Hall of Famer, no Cardinals catcher has been able to fill the hole left in the Cardinals organization.
Time will tell if Bernal is the real deal, but after his first month, the signs are there that he could be the next special Cardinals catcher.
Cardinals Catcher Leo Bernal Regarded As ‘True Heir To Molina’