The MLB catcher Mount Rushmore
By Bill Felber
Yadier Molina
Molina is 38 and almost certainly past his prime. But he is also a likely future Hall of Famer, possibly being inducted within the next decade.
Molina’s MLB resume is virtually perfect. He was the primary backstop for two Cardinal World Series winners, in 2006 and 2011. At 1,934, he holds the record for most games started by a catcher for one team.
His career .281 batting average is solid for a catcher. His fielding credentials are impeccable: He is a nine-time All Star and a seven-time Gold Glove winner. He has a career total of 163 Defensive Runs Saved.
For his career, Molina has thrown out 40 percent of attempted base-stealers, a percentage that is nicely above the major league average. Four times he has led National League catchers in caught stealing percentage, and has bettered the league average in 16 of his 17 seasons.
The 3.68 ERA of pitchers handled by Molina is significantly better than the league 4.21 average during his career.
Molina’s MLB postseason credentials are on par with his regular season performances. Begin with his .280 post-season batting average, virtually identical to his career average. He batted .412 in his team’s 2006 World Series win over Detroit, and .333 in 2011, when St. Louis came back to beat the Rangers.
Perhaps most impressively he has been behind the plate for 101 Cardinal post-season games, nearly the equivalent of a full season’s worth of starts by the normal catcher.