There have been countless rookies who get their chance to make a lasting impression One Newcomer who has that opportunity this year for the Cardinals is Pedro Pages. The 25-year-old Venezuelan-born Catcher was drafted in the 6th round of the draft by St Louis in 2019. after playing 3 years at Florida Atlantic (2017-2019) where he hit .295/.393/.426, 14 Home Runs, and 98 RBIs in 597 Plate Appearances.
He spent a year in the Cape Cod League, a summer collegiate league that uses wooden bats(2018) his numbers dropped a little going .260/.319/382, 3 Home Runs and 17 RBIs. He played one year in the New York-Pennsylvania League(2019) an MLB Draft League, with a .291/.393/.430, 2 Home Runs, and 21 RBIs.
He was one of the players caught up in the 2020 Covid year which may have hindered him slightly as he struggled in 21 and 22.
after a successful Arizonafall League where he went .279/.333/.442, 1 Home Run, and 7 RBIs in 48 plate appearances. He had a decent year at Springfield in 2023(.267/.362/.443 with 16 dingers and 72 RBIthe Redbirds saw enough to promote to AAA Memphis where he did struggle but he was added to the 40-man roster With Sem Roberse and Adam Klofenstien to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
He was on a yo-yo string for most of April and the early part of May coming and going down which allowed him no consistency. It wasn't until Wilson Contreras went down with a broken arm that allowed him some stable playing time. he still struggled in May. But in June he hit .240/.291/.400 which does not sound like much until you see only 55 plate appearances. Yes, I get that it is a small sample size, but it is what we have to work with. In his last 7 games as a starter, he is hitting .320/.346/.400 no hr has no RBIs but you can't fault him if no one is getting on base in front of him.
His caught-stealing percentage is .24% which is just above the league average(22%) Herrera is 7% and Conterraes is at 14%. In terms of defensive runs saved Pages is a 1, Contreras is at 0 and Herrera is a -8. When it comes to Zone rating Pages leads the pack with a -1, Contreras at 0, and Herrera at -4, He has shown he is an excellent framer and Cardinal pitchers seem comfortable throwing to him.
So what does the future hold for Pedro Pages?
 Much will depend on where they sit. Right now They are in contention and 5 games over .500 at this point and have the third Wild Card spot.
If his hitting continues to trend upward, it is not hard to imagine that the Cardinals could have a tough decision at the trade deadline.
It is hard to believe they would trade Contreras(age 32) he is signed until 2027 but the Cardinals could get a backend rotation piece or some nice prospects. Yes, they could get you some good prospects. but he is one of your best hitters at this point. And with an offense that is struggling right now, can you afford to drop a bat if you are still in contention? But If the offense improves and Nado, Gorman, and Goldy produce like they can, then maybe, you can drop a bat like Contreras.
Treade Herrera(21)? His bat could be attractive to many teams, but he still needs work as a defensive catcher at his age he has plenty of time to develop and he isn't eligible for Free Agency until 2030. In a package and in the right deal he could bear some fruit.
Pages(25) could also be in a trade mix IF he continues to produce. It would have to be a package deal with other top prospects or someone from the MLB roster. Or the Cardinals could look at him as the future and work to make him the face behind the mask.
There is the outside chance they keep all 3 catchers make Contreras into a full-time DH and deal at the deadline from the outfield or prospects.
I think Pages has the talent to be the front-line catcher Next season or possibly this season depending on the trade deadline. It is all about making the most of opportunities and Pages is working hard to do just that.
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