The St. Louis Cardinals won 101 games throughout the regular season, easily the best record in Major League Baseball. Now, the Cardinals are getting even better, with the return of All-Star catcher Yadier Molina from a torn ligament in his thumb. Molina is likely to be on the roster for St. Louis in the National League Division Series, according to the team.
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Molina is not a dominant hitter, but he remains one of the most important players in the sport. A seven-time Gold Glove winner and All-Star, Molina is perhaps the best backstop in baseball since Ivan Rodriguez, an almost certain Hall of Famer. This year, Molina helped St. Louis overcome the loss of ace starter Adam Wainwright, who went down in April with a torn Achilles. Incredibly, Wainwright is actually pitching out of the bullpen for the Cardinals.
Molina hit .270 with four home runs and 60 RBI in 136 games this season. Last year, the Puerto Rican hit .282, which is in line with his career. 283 line. Molina was terrific from 2011-13 at the dish, hitting over .300 with double-digit home runs in each campaign.
St. Louis will face the winner of the NL Wild Card game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Pittsburgh is hosting the contest after winning 98 games, the second-best record in the league. Chicago had the third-most, showcasing how tough the NL Central was in 2015.
If Molina can take the field at some point in the postseason, the Cardinals will be seeing him for the first time since Sept. 20.