Yadier Molina, lifelong Cardinals catcher, made history Wednesday by catching his 2,000th game with St. Louis. He has a chance to move into the top four as soon as next season. The next time he starts behind the plate, he will make his 2000th start as a catcher, an impressive feat that few have reached. Molina's throw was on target and way ahead of schedule to nab Siri. Wednesday will be his third time hitting in that spot this season and the most he’s ever hit cleanup in one year was seven times in 2005. On Jackie Robinson Day, the baseball world paid tribute to a legend, Lapchick: MLB hits milestones in racial and gender hiring, MLB renews some rules in agreement with union. The Washington Nationals shut out the Cardinals 6-0 on Wednesday afternoon at Busch Stadium, spoiling Yadier Molina's milestone moment. Shildt had a quick hook on DeJong, pulling him from the cleanup spot and replacing him with none other than the 38-year-old Yadier Molina. While it’d make sense to put either Molina or Dylan Carlson in the second spot and shift Arenado and Goldy one spot back, Molina batting cleanup is the best choice right now. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. This year, however, Adam Wainwright mentioned that Molina is “a little heavier than he was last year,” and the difference is clear. Powered by Minute Media © 2021 All Rights Reserved. "I think about [the Hall of Fame]," Molina told ESPN before last season. As I mentioned earlier, putting another player second and moving the middle two bats down to third and fourth in the order would appear to be the best long-term solution to the cleanup spot. While Nolan Arenado has said that he is adjusting well to batting third, he’s been primarily a cleanup man in Colorado. "When I started my career, I had to overcome a lot of obstacles. St. Louis Cardinals news from FanSided Daily, St. Louis Cardinals: Kim to return to rotation Saturday, St. Louis Cardinals: Dissecting the team’s pitching options, Top 10 All-Time Cardinals Starting Pitchers. Don't steal on Yadier Molina, even if he dares you to In this week's grapefruit league action, Molina had some fun at the Houston Astros' expense. In a perfect world, 2021 will be the year that Paul DeJong takes a leap forward for the Cardinals and steps up to be the cleanup hitter this team needs, that hasn’t been the case. Both aren’t good things. Yadier Molina agreement with Cards is for $9M — Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 9, 2021 Though Molina and fellow free agent Adam Wainwright legitimately considered other … Facing the Nationals at Busch Stadium, starter Adam Wainwright fired the first pitch to Trea Turner before the game was paused for a standing ovation. Position: Catcher Bats: Right • Throws: Right 5-11, 225lb (180cm, 102kg) . The nine-time winner, which ranks third among catchers, had hoped to tie Hall of Famer Johnny Bench for second with 10. Molina has been a key component to the Cardinals' success over the years, having helped lead the team to four National League pennants and two World Series titles. The unfortunate consequence of Molina hitting so well is that Knizner hasn’t had playing time, but getting him playing time isn’t a high priority when Molina is hitting like this. @MLB @MLBNetwork @LasMayores — Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 29, 2021 St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina became just the sixth player in MLB history Wednesday to start his 2,000th game behind the plate. … Molina dared 25-year-old Jose Siri to run on him after Siri taunted Molina. As soon as Molina made contact with the ball, Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez realized he had made a … It is pretty much old news by now that Yadier Molina reached a historic milestone on Wednesday afternoon. Will he break that record this year? And my numbers are obviously there. St. Louis Cardinals: Tommy Edman is looking good at leadoff. But in this case, appearances are deceiving. Molina became the first backstop in MLB history to catch … Goldy has been a primary third hitter in his career as well. Team: St. Louis Cardinals (majors) Born: July 13, 1982 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico pr Draft: Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 4th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft from Ladislao Martinez HS (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico).. High School: Ladislao Martinez HS (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) The Cardinals are still waiting for someone to step up in the outfield other than Carlson. Molina is the first backstop in major … I’m all for continuing to experiment with lineups, but the way it is currently set up makes the lineup look way thinner than it could with Molina or Carlson at second. Are the St. Louis Cardinals falling into a familiar habit? He was critical of the statistical-based process -- without the usual input from managers or coaches -- used to determine the Gold Glove finalists in 2020. On Monday, a post on Instagram began making the round throughout the internet. Rather than burying him in the end of the lineup, Shildt has capitalized this by using him as protection for Nolan Arenado. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on St. Louis Cardinals and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Don’t test Yadier Molina. Molina also became the 12th catcher in major league history to join the 2,000-hit club, and his 2,001 hits currently rank fifth among all active players (and sixth in Cardinals franchise history). The only two players to play more games in a Cardinals uniform in franchise history are Hall of Famers Stan Musial (3,026) and Lou Brock (2,289). CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 03: Paul DeJong #11 celebrates his home run with Yadier Molina #4 of the St. Louis Cardinals during their game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on April 03, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Molina, 38, tested positive for COVID-19 in August as the Cardinals were hit by an outbreak just three games into the 2020 season. @ElNuevoDia was the first to report that St. Louis had made Molina a 1-year offer and that he is likely to sign soon. While Molina hitting cleanup is the best option right now, it does say something about the depth of the Cardinals’ lineup; or at least how it is being deployed. Longtime St. Louis Cardinals star Yadier Molina was one of the many voices who weighed in on the play, and he was not happy to see a fellow catcher get leveled in such brutal fashion. Yadier Molina threw out a young opponent trying to steal second during a spring training game. In a change from recent years, the lineups that manager Mike Shildt has decided to employ at the start of the season have changed earlier than usual. The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back Yadier Molina for an 18th season, the team announced Monday. The top three for the St. Louis Cardinals has stayed the same with Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado, but beyond that there have been changes. At the time of writing, Molina is batting .353 with a .998 OPS and two homers over his first 34 at-bats. St. Louis Cardinals: Dissecting the team's pitching options, St. Louis Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt's luck finally starts to turn, St. Louis Cardinals: A rough start on the mound for Andrew Miller. St. Louis Cardinals: Paul Goldschmidt’s luck finally starts to turn. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images). Yadier Molina hit a two-run homer and Dylan Carlson added a grand slam, leading the St. Louis Cardinals over Miami 7-0 for a three-game sweep that dropped the … Statistics category Overall Conf; Games: 41 20 Plate appearances: 144 76 At Bats: 109 62 Runs: 32 18 Yadier Molina is on the precipice of history. Part of this stemmed from Molina continually coming in lighter and lighter to take strain off his knees behind the plate. Molina’s return was not a guarantee this offseason and he waited until late January to sign. As happens with any player nearing 40 (especially catchers), Molina’s offensive production has declined over the past few years. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina is a surefire Hall of Famer for a number of reasons. He has a career .281 average with 160 home runs, 932 RBIs, 66 stolen bases and has caught 350 of the would-be 869 baserunners trying to steal a base (40% success rate). Yadier Molina, #4, St. Louis Cardinals, (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) Patrick Baldwin Jr. is a high-school prospect with NBA franchise-changing potential by Andrew Favakeh Adam Wainwright is an extremely accomplished MLB player, but you wouldn’t be able to tell it based on a tweet he shared Sunday. St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals Monday, April 12, 2021, in St. Louis. Yadier Molina posted an image to Instagram that has caused a bit of an uproar. ... All I've done is work hard to get better and better every single year to become the best catcher I can be. Molina has been the most clutch Cardinal in years past, even when his overall offensive numbers have slid. Yadier Benjamín Molina (Spanish pronunciation: [ʝaˈdjeɾ moˈlina]; born July 13, 1982), nicknamed "Yadi", is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB), with whom he has played his entire 17-year MLB career. Behind the plate, Molina has been a steadying influence for the Cardinals' pitching staff while also being credited with 170 defensive runs saved as a catcher since 2004. I think that, because of the way I catch, that I'm one of the best catchers to have ever played in baseball.". Molina shared a video of his career highlight on Instagram on Monday and ended it with the words "I'm back.". MLB Power Rankings Week 2: Which hot starts led to a big move up our list? The St. Louis Cardinals are bringing back Yadier Molina for an 18th season, the team announced Monday. On Dec. 30, I came upon this image on Wikipedia during some story research. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina made history on Wednesday afternoon in St. Louis. Molina will likely become the sixth catcher in MLB history to catch 2,000 games in 2021. Yadier Molina is catching his 2,000th game on Wednesday afternoon, and the St. Louis Cardinals set it up that he could catch a certain starting pitcher. The year 2020 tried to kill Yadier Molina; luckily, it failed. Molina … For the time being, Molina is the best choice for cleanup even though nobody knows how he’s still so productive. Alex Rodriguez vs. Nobody knows how backup Andrew Knizner would be hitting had Yadi chose to go elsewhere, but the odds that he could replicate Molina’s current performance are low. Cardinals bring back Molina for 18th season, DeGrom strikes out 9 in row, 14 in all, in win, Twins-Angels games PPD due to COVID concerns, Braves' Kazmar plays in first MLB game since '08, Brewers' Yelich lands on IL with lower back strain, Yankees' Sanchez injures hand; X-rays negative, Royals trade Heath to D-backs for minor leaguer, More drama for Dodgers-Padres, this time with Clayton Kershaw's bat and Mookie Betts' glove, Five hours, 12 innings and 17 runs: Dodgers-Padres Game 1 lives up to the hype. Yadier Molina. When the Cardinals backstop led his team onto the field it marked the 2000th time in his career he began a game behind the plate for the Cardinals. 6 all time among all catchers. Yadier Molina’s two-run homer has given the Cardinals the lead over Miami. The Newsroom: Who Used Coldplay's 'Fix You' Better? Yadier Molina is expected to sign with the #STLCards after the Caribbean Series, if not before then, source says. And even now, with the 38-year-old Molina’s career possibly winding down, players who were in grade school when Molina debuted with the … For nearly two decades, Major League baserunners have either heeded that warning or paid the price. St. Louis agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal with the catcher, a source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers, confirming multiple reports. FanSided 1 month Yadier Molina posts awesome Instagram in return to Cardinals (Video) The Big Lead 2 months Cardinals Tweet About Reuniting Dexter … Molina, who will appear in his 2,000th career game on Wednesday, has proven many people (myself included) wrong to start the season. St. Louis Cardinals: Where does Alex Reyes fit long-term? Combining Molina’s situational hitting skill with his hot streak really does make him the perfect cleanup man right now. The nine-time All-Star played 42 of 60 games during the pandemic-shortened season, hitting .262 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. Jul 13, 2013 - The latest Tweets from Yadier Molina (@yadi_molina_4) In his career, Molina has hit cleanup in just 33 games, with 2021 being the first time he’s hit cleanup since 2017. The Cincinnati Reds won 9-6. Wikipedia is scaring me. Batting just .128 right now with a .559 OPS, DeJong has looked awful on both sides of the ball since the start of the 2021 season. Share this on Twitter Share All sharing options Share All sharing options for: Mariners Moose Tracks, 4/15/21: Carlos Rodón, Yadier Molina, and Lance McCullers, Jr. Yadier Molina batting cleanup for the St. Louis Cardinals says a lot both about him and the team as a whole. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. 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