MLB 21st century face of the franchise — St. Louis Cardinals: Yadier Molina
Yadier Molina is so thoroughly the face of the Cardinals that the prospect of his signing with anyone else for the 2021 season seemed unthinkable. In the end it was unthinkable to Molina as well; he signed up for one more year behind the plate in St. Louis and retired at the end of 2022.
Any other outcome would have been disappointing. Molina played 2,224 games for the Cards, all but 112 of them at catcher. That’s the all-time record for one player with one team. He is a nine-time All-Star and eight-time Gold Glove winner.
His offense did not come naturally. Still, Molina produced five seasons with a batting average above .300, a notable accomplishment for a backstop. He also developed a knack for coming through in the clutch. Molina averaged 74 RBI per 162 games.
But Molina is best known for two immeasurable qualities, his toughness and leadership. In that capacity, he helped the Cardinals to the 2006 and 2011 World Series titles. With Molina behind the plate, the Cardinals won nine divisional titles. Molina caught 104 of his team’s 109 post-season games, maintaining a .273 post-season batting average in the process.
That toughness and that leadership quality make it likely that five year s from now Molina will be among the immortals in Cooperstown.
In the wings: For sheer force of personality, nobody in St. Louis could compare with Molina. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are bigger threats, and Tyler O’Neill is a more imposing specimen, but Yadi will still be the man in St. Louis several years from now.