While St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina retired after last season, the team has struggled to replace his presence both on the field and in the clubhouse.
Replacing a catcher from one year to the next is a tough ask, let alone when that backstop is a team legend like Yadier Molina. While Yadi’s bat had slowed in recent years, his baseball acumen was as sharp as ever.
Yadi managed a St. Louis pitching staff that often lacked a true ace, at least since Adam Wainwright passed 35 years old. Jack Flaherty has rarely looked like THAT guy. Much of the success of the Cards starting pitchers can be attributed to Molina, especially in the days prior to PitchCom.
Molina could be a future manager himself, given all the behind-the-scenes work he put in with Cardinals managers such as Mike Matheny, Tony La Russa and Mike Shildt over the years. He even skippered for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
“If he wants to do it in the future, he will do it,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I think somebody will give him a chance. But for now, I think he should just enjoy the family, enjoy his retirement life and then go from there.”
Cardinals struggles could be Yadier Molina’s fault
Molina’s retirement was a long time coming, and by no means should he be blamed for finally taking some time away from baseball. If anything, this column is a compliment to what he meant to St. Louis as a city and organization.
Without Molina, the Cardinals are lost on a voyage hoping to find themselves. So far, it’s not working out.
"I've never seen one player run an organization the way Yadi did."@aj_pierzynskiFT explains just how much of an impact Yadier Molina had in St. Louis. #FTLive ▶ https://t.co/yhVOuL06Z5 pic.twitter.com/Cc3VhsWNdt
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 4, 2023
A.J. Pierzynski only spent half a season with the Cards, but that was enough to witness Molina’s value in the organization, much of which doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
You don’t replace that overnight.