By Rob Rains
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Leonardo Bernal had a rather unconventional reason to start switch-hitting when he was a young boy growing up in Panama.
That reason? He was too good as a right-handed hitter, at least when it came to playing against his younger brother Jose in the backyard of the family’s home. Bernal was dominating every game that they played, using a baseball made out of paper and tape and “short” bats.
When he started to hit lefthanded, Bernal says, the games became “closer” and “more competitive”.
What Bernal didn’t realize at the time, because he was only 9 or 10 years old, was that the simple decision – followed by his desire to work on becoming the best left-handed hitter he could be in addition to his success hitting righthanded, would have a direct impact on allowing him to get to where he is now. Just a few short years later Bernal is establishing himself as one of the best prospects in the Cardinals farm system.
Damaso Espino then a scout for the Cardinals in Panama and now an international crosschecker for the team, didn’t personally witness any of those games in the Bernal family’s backyard but he has heard the stories – and many more. Espino believes the story helps to illustrate Bernal’s character, desire and work ethic, all of which has aided his start to this season at Double A Springfield.
“In Latin America, many kids grow up playing with limited equipment,” Espino said in an email. ” They don’t wait for perfect conditions. They just find a way to play. Sometimes that helps them develop unique skills that become very helpful in their future.”
Bernal’s switch-hitting education began in that backyard.
“The most impressive part is that he did it on his own,” Espino wrote. “He would just find a way to swing the bat against a small netting in the back of his house until it got better and better … His skill level and determination when he puts his focus on learning something new in the game is exceptional. He has an inner grit that has carried him to this level of his career.”
Bernal is not that far removed from those brotherly games in the backyard. He is still only 21 years old, the youngest player on the Springfield roster and among the youngest playing at Double A for any organization.
It’s how well he has performed offensively at that age, even without including the fact that he is a switch-hitting catcher, which has been impressive.
Through Tuesday’s games, Bernal’s 11 home runs were the most in the Cardinals’ organization, his 41 RBIs in 47 games were the third most and he was hitting .303. He is one of only a few 21-year-old players at the Double A level with that many home runs.
“Just look at his offensive production for a 21-year-old in Double A, and then to make it more impressive, he’s a catcher,” said Moises Rodriguez, the Cardinals’ assistant general manager who was involved in scouting Bernal. “I think what he is doing now speaks for itself.”
Bernal has had that success despite his age, despite the fact he also spends a great deal of time working on his catching duties, and has to prepare for games as both a right-handed and left-handed hitter.
“I just work hard every day and see what is going to happen,” Bernal said. “It’s a process. I’m young. I’m learning a lot of stuff. Now it’s time to put it all together and become a better player.”
“His love for the game was special”
Espino remembers the first time he saw Bernal play, when he was barely a teenager.
“What stood out to me wasn’t just his talent, it was his overall approach and energy for the game,” Espino said. “I went back to see him months later at the Under 15 World Cup at the end of 2018. His catching, his arm and his leadership skills showed a lot of improvement in a short period of time. I loved how his raw tools were becoming natural skills for the game defensively and especially at the plate.”
The more Espino learned about Bernal, the more excited he became about Bernal’s potential.
“His work ethic and abilities to learn new things and develop more skills were impressive,” Espino said. “You could see that his love for the game was special. It’s not every day that you find a combination of tools, skills, determination and passion for the game.”
Bernal signed with the Cardinals in January of 2021, just a couple of weeks before his 17th birthday. His professional career began that summer in the Dominican Summer League – and his performance has been on the rise ever since as he advanced through the organization.
He spent most of last season at high Class A Peoria before finishing the year in Springfield for the final 14 games.
Patrick Anderson has been able to monitor Bernal’s progress first-hand, having been the manager in Peoria in 2024 and now working with Bernal again as the Springfield manager.
Anderson cites “maturity and experience” as two of the reasons for Bernal’s performance so far this season, when he already has matched his home run total in 110 games last year.
“He’s honed in on his routine,” Anderson said. “His routine before the game, offensively and defensively, is unbelievable. Doing a routine for both sides of the plate, and catching, that’s exhausting. This kid is mentally strong, physically strong, and he’s starting to understand what a good routine is for him. He’s seeing the fruits of his labor.”
Bernal has hit six homers batting righthanded and five hitting lefthanded. Ten of his home runs have come since May 1, in a span of 32 games, during which he has driven in 36 runs and posted a .344 average.
“He’s a pretty special player,” said Springfield hitting coach Casey Chenoweth. “He’s an unbelievably strong kid but I thought there was more to his game than just power.
“As a switch-hitter we’ve looked more into how his body moves and works and specifically into who he is as a player. There are different strategies to maximize his strength and power. He’s bought in and trusted me very well from the beginning. He wants to be really good and an elite player.”
Bernal knows what he is doing isn’t easy and requires more pre-game work than is required of a lot of his teammates. He is doing it all with a smile on his face.
“I am so happy to be here,” Bernal said. “It’s a lot of work and it’s a hard position but I enjoy every day trying to get better. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.
“It’s a dream to come here and I’m always going to be smiling. Doing what you like to do is good for you.”
Chenoweth has appreciated how hard Bernal has worked to try to make himself better, embracing the difficult challenge of what he is trying to accomplish.
“It’s a lot of work but the best part is he is willing to put in the work,” Chenoweth said. “I’m bi-lingual so we can talk in Spanish but he knows English too. He’s a very smart player.”
Both Anderson and Chenoweth believe the next steps for Bernal’s offensive improvement is just consistency and maintaining his approach.
“There are some little things to do to get better,” Anderson said. “He’s a big kid, he’s strong, he’s worked hard. He’s dedicated to working on his craft.”
Added Chenoweth, “The power was always there, but what has surprised me a little bit coming into this year is he has a high contact ability. There is potential for a well-rounded player who potentially can put up a pretty high average for the catching position.
“It’s 100 percent a credit to him and how hard he works. He’s bought in to wanting to be really, really good.”
Hearing that doesn’t surprise Espino. It was the same traits he saw in Bernal in Panama.
“We’re proud of everything he has accomplished,” Espino said. “There’s still a big leap from a top prospect to a productive MLB player but based on Leo’s skills, character and mindset, we are confident he’ll continue to maximize his abilities and reach his potential.”
“He’s starting to evolve as a total baseball player”
While the story of why Bernal became a switch-hitter was unconventional, his decision to start catching is far more traditional.
His father was a catcher when he played in Panama. His mother was a catcher in softball. Even his younger brother is a catcher too.
One reason that Bernal fell in love with the position came from watching Yadier Molina on television while Bernal was growing up.
“My dad always told me Yadi was the best, so I watched how he played the game, his concentration level,” Bernal said. “Every game he played, he played to win. He played to help the team. He was a really good catcher, and that’s what I am trying to do.”
Anderson also appreciates how he has seen Bernal improve defensively over the last year while working with him.
“He has good days and bad days like any minor leaguer but he’s making the adjustments that will allow him to be more consistent,” Anderson said. “He’s working on the movements. He’s been able to get to some balls he was not able to get to last year. He’s making progress … He asks questions. He’s starting to evolve as a total baseball player.
“He does a good job of calling games. This young man has a really good feel about all of his pitchers. Understanding what he sees during the game, and how he can make adjustments, that puts him over the top.”
Bernal credits part of his success to the time he has spent with Jose Oquendo, one of the Cardinals’ roving instructors. The two spent time together working during spring training and that was where a couple of years ago, Bernal also got to meet Molina.
“It was awesome, it was a dream when I got to meet him,” Bernal said. “I talked with him a little bit and was so happy I had that opportunity.”
Like Molina, one of the aspects of catching that Bernal really enjoys is trying to throw out runners attempting to steal. So far this season he has cut down 14 of 38 runners trying to steal, an above-average success rate of 37 percent.
Talking about that brings another big smile to Bernal’s face.
“That’s a fun part, throwing guys out, like Yadi used to do,” Bernal said. “I like throwing guys out at second, that’s fun.”
An interesting aspect to Bernal’s story is the connection between Espino and Anderson. Espino was a catcher in the Royals organization years ago, where Anderson was one of his coaches.
“They are cut from the same cloth,” Anderson said. “Having had both of them is pretty neat. Their work ethic is very similar.”
Espino remembered playing for Anderson.
“I know his passion for the game is contagious,” Espino said. “He loves catching and passed on a lot of knowledge to me back then. I’m sure Leo and the current players under him are learning a lot and enjoying the experience as well. He’s in good hands.”
At the same time that Bernal is working on his offensive and defensive skills, he also is making an effort to speak and understand English better. Three years ago he didn’t know a single word in the language.
“I’m trying to learn,” he said. “My English is not perfect but I’m trying to do my best. I’m a catcher. I need to speak English too.”
“He’s an off-the-charts kid”
Signing international players as young as Bernal always comes with risk, but Espino, Rodriguez and the Cardinals organization thought it was one worth taking. So far everybody Bernal has worked with is glad they did.
“He’s an off-the-charts kid,” Anderson said. “He’s really an unbelievable human being – his intent, his passion, his concentration, he’s really gotten better. You can just tell how good of a young man he is. Even when he doesn’t do well, the conversations you have with him, it’s been a lot more fun for me. We have a really good bond.”
Chenoweth remembers a conversation he had with Bernal early this season, after Bernal had gotten off to a slow start.
“It was at the end of April and he was hitting around .180 or .190,” Chenoweth said. “He kind of asked me like, ‘Where do you see me? I know it’s the first month, it hasn’t gone the best, but where do you see me?’
“Without hesitation I told him, ‘I think you’re a major-league player. You’re every bit of an All-Star. You could even be the MVP in this league. I fully believe you are going to be every bit of the player you can be.”
That’s what Espino and Rodriguez saw too, back in Panama.
“Damaso took me to see him and the very first at-bat, he smoked a ball off the center field wall,” Rodriguez said. “I was like, ‘Yeah that looks right.’ First impression was great, cannon of an arm. That evening we went to dinner and got to know him a little bit. I just walked away super impressed about how mature he was.
“He didn’t seem like a normal 15-year-old as far as his mentality, his attitude. He had a quiet confidence about him. He loved talking about the game.”
The story that stands out to Espino came later, after the national team training, which lasted for several months, and the Under 15 World Cup.
“I expected him to rest for a while, so I was planning on waiting until he rested to see him again,” Espino said. “Just a week later, I went to see a U18 national tournament in a different city. I was surprised when I looked in the bullpen area and saw that Leo was the bullpen catcher for his local team.
“He wasn’t part of the team, but he had traveled with them and volunteered to be their bullpen catcher so he could get more reps catching older pitchers. He wasn’t doing it for attention, he didn’t know anyone was watching him. He just wanted to keep improving his defense.
“He couldn’t stay away from the field. I thought that was impressive and said a lot about his dedication. Yet what was more impressive was that in his first few off-seasons from pro ball, he returned to Panama and continued volunteering as a bullpen catcher, just to stay sharp and grow.
“That kind of dedication is rare, and it’s a big part of who Leo is.”
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Main photo by P.J. Maigi, courtesy of Springfield Cardinals, other photos by Maigi or Sally Rains
