Matt Holliday Selected to Replace Yadier Molina in All-Star Game

Yadier Molina was placed on the bereavement list due to the passing of his wife’s

grandfather, and he will not play in the All-Star Game.  To replace him, manager Tony LaRussa has selected another one of his former players, Matt Holliday.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted the news earlier today, but MLB.com made it official later.  Holliday has had an All-Star quality season so far this year.  He is hitting .318/.397/.526 with 14 home runs.  This will mark Holliday’s sixth All-Star appearance and his third straight.

Holliday is a career .315/.388/.540 hitter.  He has played for three teams in his career and spent the majority of his time in Colorado.  However, he is signed with the Cardinals through 2016, and the earliest he can become a free agent is 2017.  If he plays out his contract with St. Louis, he will have spent eight seasons with the Red Birds.

Yadier Molina was tabbed as a reserve catcher on the All-Star roster.  The starting catcher, as selected by the fans, is Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants.  Molina is hitting .304/.357/.386 with 13 home runs this year.  He recently received a contract extension from the Cardinals for 10 years, $96.5 million.

Molina has spent his entire career in St. Louis and has hit .276/.333/.386 over the course of nine seasons.  He is considered one of the best (if not the best) defensive catcher in the league right now.  This year marked his fourth straight All-Star selection.  He has also won four straight Gold Gloves and looks on pace to win another this season.

Tony LaRussa is just the second retired manager to head an All-Star team.  He retired after the Cardinals won the World Series last year.  With Holliday’s addition, the Cardinals have six representatives.  David Freese won the Final Vote by the fans yesterday.  Despite the number of Cardinals players in the game, it’s hard to argue any of the selections.