In some ways, the growth of a baseball prospect is like the rearing of a child: Much as children with loving parents generally experience better life outcomes, a prospect raised in a strong foundation by a team that knows how to maximize his strengths will be more likely to thrive.
Therefore, it's a minor miracle that Ivan Herrera has turned out this well.
The St. Louis Cardinals' prospect development system was completely broken by the end of John Mozeliak's time as the team's president of baseball operations, as the team had failed to grow a superstar from within since Yadier Molina nearly a quarter of a century ago and was lagging in modern technology and analytical scouting and development methods.