Iván Herrera went into Tuesday night's game having nailed 12 of 16 ABS challenges as a catcher. He has helped the Cardinals rank No. 3 in MLB in successful ABS challenges at 59 percent.
ST. LOUIS -- When MLB instituted the Automated Ball-Strike system (ABS) for the 2026 season, one fear held by old-school baseball types was that it would greatly diminish the importance of having an elite catcher.
Cardinals’ standout catcher Iván Herrera has turned those fears into cheers with his keen eyesight and his stellar understanding of the strike zone.
Herrera went into Tuesday night’s game in Sacramento against the Athletics having won 12 of 16 (75 percent) ABS challenges as the Cardinals’ backstop. The work of Herrera, Pedro Pages and Yohel Pozo has allowed the Cardinals to nail 69.8 percent of their ABS challenges from behind the plate this season.
The Cardinals’ 69.8 percent success rate on catcher’s challenges is good for MLB’s third-best mark. Only the Tigers (82.8 percent) and Cubs (72.1 percent) have been more successful on catcher’s challenges this season. The rival Reds (69.7 percent) and D-backs (69.2 percent) trail closely behind the Cards.
Cardinals’ manager Oliver Marmol isn’t surprised that Herrera is one of MLB’s top catchers at challenging missed calls and getting them right. After all, Herrera’s eye and his understanding of the strike zone has allowed him to rank ninth in MLB in on-base percentage (.409) and tied for 12th in walks (28).
“He just has a really good sense for the strike zone, regardless of it he’s in the box or behind it (catching),” Marmol said of Herrera, who has nearly as many walks (28) as strikeouts (33) this season. “He’s done a tremendous job of controlling the strike zone offensively. And then the numbers speak for themselves when it comes to challenges from behind the plate.
“It’s not a surprise that it translates.”
Among their hitters, the Cardinals have nailed just 47.1 percent of their ABS challenges, good for the 13th-best mark in MLB. Matthew Liberatore is the only Cardinals pitcher to challenge a call – a strategy employed by the franchise before the season – and he missed on his one attempt.
When combining challenges by hitters, catchers and pitchers, the Cardinals have gotten 59 percent of them correct. That’s good for No. 3 in MLB in successful challenges, trailing only the Tigers () and Dodgers (59.7 percent). The D-backs (58.8 percent) and Cubs (58.5 percent) trail closely behind the Cards in successful challenges.
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