The latest out of the Cardinals’ camp…
- Yadier Molina intends to finish his career as a Cardinal, though the longtime catcher won’t insist on a starting role throughout the life of a potential new contract with St. Louis. According to The Athletic’s Mark Saxon (subscription required), Molina “has informed club officials he would be willing to take a reduced role in the second season of an extension.” This would represent the 2022 campaign, as Molina is entering the final year of his current contract. Given that Molina will be 39 years old on Opening Day 2022, moving into a part-time or backup role at that late stage of his career isn’t really a surprise, aside from the fact that Molina has always been such a workhorse behind the plate. Molina has the seventh-most games played (1947) as a catcher in baseball history, and with three more seasons, could potentially pass Carlton Fisk (2226) for second on the all-time list. Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera are the two top young catchers in the Cards’ farm system, with Saxon noting that Knizner (who has already cracked the big leagues and would be 27 on Opening Day 2022) could still potentially become a trade chip if St. Louis feels Herrera is the better bet as Molina’s heir apparent.
- The Cardinals have been working to add more left-handed pitching to their roster, with GM Michael Girsch telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold that “when we had the opportunity to make transactions, we sided slightly to the left if we could.” Some of the southpaws acquired in big and small moves over the last two years include Andrew Miller, Kwang-Hyun Kim, Genesis Cabrera, Tyler Webb, Matthew Liberatore, Rob Kaminsky, and Ricardo Sanchez, and several of those names are in the mix to play bigger roles for the Cards in 2020. Beyond the need for greater balance between lefty and righty pitching, there is also a specific strategic element at play, given all of the big left-handed bats in the NL Central.
- Matt Carpenter missed Wednesday’s Spring Training game with what he described as a “super minor” back injury, MLB.com’s Anne Rogers writes. The back tightness wouldn’t have prevented Carpenter from playing in a regular season game, though perhaps even the fact that he reported the issue is indicative of how Carpenter is approaching his health and conditioning as he tries to rebound from a rough 2019 season. “Today would’ve been a great example of not saying anything, going out and played, and something happening….I think that is going to be big for me going forward, just being open to not push through stuff that can set me back for a month, and just say, ‘Hey, today I don’t feel as good,’ and it’s two days instead of two months,” Carpenter said.
Molina first ballot Hall of Famer!
No he won’t
Yes, he will.
You must be new to how this process works?
If Harold Baines got in then I’d say a catcher who potentially catches the 2nd most games all time, is considered one of the greatest all time defensively and has won 9 gold gloves and 6 fielding bibles will make it into the hall of fame on the first ballot.
Baines got in because of the baseball “old boys” committee. It’s sad but it’s harder to dupe the writers than it is those guys. If Molina gets in, it’ll be after years on the ballot.
That was a rigged old timers ballot from the get go on Baines. If he’s in, Ken Boyer and Roger Maris should be included!!!!
Tim you miss the point. No one said Molina will not get into the hall of fame. The question was will it be first ballot.
Baines did not even get elected by the writers. Terrible comparison.
Molina is a first ballot HOFer. Believe that!
Should I also “believe that” Berra and Campanella were 1st ballot HOF? Among many other very worthy catchers better than Molina. The GG is a lost and worthless thing to hang your career on. And with defense figured into WAR, Molina has a low 40.1 WAR.
The funny thing is Maurice Lock is that WAR means nothing…it is a made up statistic so I don’t know why you even choose to use it…There are so many things Molina does that WAR can’t even begin to measure Molina’s true worth…. as Bill James says ““Aaron Judge was nowhere near as valuable as Jose Altuve. Why? Because he didn’t do nearly as much to win games for his team as Altuve did. It is NOT close. The belief that it is close is fueled by bad statistical analysis — not as bad as the 1974 statistical analysis, I grant, but flawed nonetheless. It is based essentially on a misleading statistic, which is WAR. Baseball-Reference WAR shows the little guy at 8.3, and the big guy at 8.1.””
War is not a stat that should be used
Cards81, once again, you show how little you know. The voters look at WAR. They all say it. They all use it.
lol I wasn’t saying that at all..I was saying that WAR is a ridiculous stat and shouldn’t be used…learn how to comprehend writing…and prove that they all use it or say it lol like you vote and know..stop being so pompous
@JD, “if” he gets in? I don’t know if he’s a first ballot shoe-in, but I’d bet my (non-existent) farm that Yadi is a guaranteed HOFer within a few years of his eligibility.
WAR means nothing? Is that why when you look up every player on Baseball Reference, it’s the FIRST STAT you see in their summary? You keep believing it’s means nothing. Somehow, if Molina had an 80 WAR instead of 40, you would be stating the opposite.
He should be first ballot
It all depends on the other candidates on the ballot. If the selection of candidates is strong I think it could take him some time to make it in. If it’s a weak field, it’s possible he makes it on first ballot.
He probably won’t be; but, I feel like he should be. There are always a hand full of writers who say no one should be a first ballot, hence why Rivera was a rare case. Pundits will harp on molinas batting numbers,all though good, they don’t compare to the likes of bench. His value behind the plate can’t be measured and pundits will use that to not vote for him the first time through.
Knizner isn’t 27… he’s only 24/25 — I know that’s not a huge deal but it’s a pretty significant difference when talking about a ‘prospect’ catcher. I mean 27 is almost too old to even be considered a “young catcher” but where he’s only 24/25 I’d say that still qualifies and makes him relatively valuable to the Cards or a potential trade.
Read again. It said 27 in 2022
It says “would be 27 on opening day 2022”.
It says Knizner is going to be 27 on opening day 2022.
I think it said he would be 27 on opening day in 2022.
Wait what did it say? I didn’t catch it there
It wasn’t mentioned. Don’t trust these trolls in the comments.
He’ll be 22 in 2027 I think.
I like what you did there!!
Glad you noticed
Gotta figure that if either Knizner or Herrera are offered in trade, somebody will snap them up, considering both were mentored by Molina.
They are both good and yes someone should snap them up…But with Herrera only being 19 I think he is the one the Cardinals want to be the heir
Agreed. Makes a lot more sense. I live in Memphis and I’ll be anxious to see him play.
Yadier finally faced the music. A true legend realizes when his time is up. Good for him.
Finally faced the music? When is his time up?
Yes faced the fact that he is one of the all time greats in the game.
I can name 500 or more “of the all time greats of the game” and Molina is not on that list.
He’s agreeing to be a back-up in 2022. What if he should be a back-up in 2021? Tantrum?
really now. not much of a concession to say you’ll cede playing duties in two years when you’re already 37.
Lol I know…the guy has been a top 5, if not, top 10 catcher…he was a big reason the Cardinals made it to the NLCS…nothing but respect for the guy
Mo I typically find your comments solid but I’m not sure where this comes from because it’s not Molina. Molina has never said he’d be upset losing the starting role only that he’d rather retire than be a backup. I had no problem with that. Now he’s stating that at a certain point that is actually an option. I have no problem with that as a fan im happy to hear it veteran backup catchers are valuable. I know it’s tantrum with a “?” but your kind of making it into something that knowing Molinas track record it isn’t. Maybe he does lose his job before then but it’s just as likely or even more likely Molina either accepts a backup role earlier or rises off into the sunset. Either of which he’s earned
I don’t know exactly what kind of correlation there is to having good veteran leadership and wins vs loses but I can tell you I couldn’t have picked a better leader than him. When Pujols was here those two were a good leadership tandem with Wainwright being the more light hearted voice. I have enormous respect for Molina and as long as he’s earning the starting role I’m fine with him manning the plate until he’s overtaken. Just because he’s not the Molina we were spoiled with for so many years doesn’t mean the guy has to retire
If there IS any correlation between veteran leadership and wins, I’d be willing to guess that veteran leadership from a catcher is the ideal. Molina has shown himself to be one of the all-time great Cardinals, and everything I’ve ever read is that he commands respect from pretty much the entire league.
I would love to see Yadi take on a back up role and a player coach role in 2022 or later. What a great second bench coach he could be for Schildt.
Lol I literally was just talking about that with a friend…bench coach and back up catcher…I wouldn’t doubt it one bit
Yadier’s going to need a lot of foreign substances on that chest protector to keep being a viable starter beyond 2020. And LaRussa isn’t going to be on the Veterans Committee forever, which means Yadi’s 40.2 career WAR will be a tough sell whenever he does reach the Vets (75% of the BBWAA isn’t stupid enough to vote for the Jim Sundberg of the 2000s).
Dumbest comment I’ve seen in a while, congrats.
Just someone who is full of jealousy and doesn’t even understand baseball…he is a troll looking for attention…just ignore
Dumbest comment Ive seen in a while, was that the two long foul balls that KK gave up in his first out, was a sure sign he will be a bust.
Oh Newton everyone is just laughing at you. All you have done is expose yourself of someone lacking in baseball knowledge.
Leave the comments for the big boys.
Love Yadi.
Hopefully he is the heir to Oquendo on the coaching side when he retires.
Molina will join Stan and stay with SL forever.