Yadier Molina (Lou Countryman photo)
Lou Countryman photo
Expect to see a lot more of St. Louis fan favorite Yadier Molina this season.
After being away for the most part for the past three seasons, the 43-year-old Molina will be back.
St. Louis President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has wooed back the legendary catcher.
Molina, 43, will serve as a special assistant to Bloom.
The plan is for Molina to work with catchers and backstops in the Cardinals’ Minor League system, and to help shape the development curriculum for those players.
“We are happy to welcome Yadi back to the Cardinals organization,” Bloom said. “He is an elite competitor, a consistent winner, and one of the greatest ever at his position, and we look forward to many contributions during his visits with us in this new role, both in and out of uniform. Yadi will provide input on our catching program, will advise our staff on catching and game planning strategy, and will give me and our front office valuable perspective from his unique vantage point.
“Perhaps most important, he will help us nurture in our players the high standards, attention to detail and championship mindset that are so critical to winning.”
A career Cardinal, Molina won nine Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and twice finished in the top four for the National League MVP in his 19 seasons with St. Louis.
He won four of the first five Platinum Gloves presented in the NL.
Molina was part of four National League pennant-winning teams.
He was a key member of World Series championship teams in 2006 and 2011. He also was a 10-time National League All-Star.
He holds the MLB record for games caught with one franchise (2,184). Molina also holds the MLB record for the most consecutive starts by a catcher on Opening Day, recording 15 from 2005-19.
Molina won four Platinum Glove Awards and led MLB in caught-stealing percentage four times. He registered 2,168 hits, 176 homers and 1,022 RBIs.
Molina was back twice last season as a guest coach after being invited by Manager Oliver Marmol.
Before that, Molina had returned to Busch Stadium just once – for Adam Wainwright’s retirement ceremony in 2023 – since ending his playing career in the 2022 NL Wild Card Series.
Wainwright and Molina hold MLB records for most wins (213) and starts (328) by a pitcher-catcher battery.