Warning: This opinion will anger some in Cardinal Nation who already are battling boiling blood.
Disclaimer: Remember, I’m a Yadier Molina enthusiast.
I believe he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I think he’s the best defensive catcher of his generation. And I think he can and will succeed in whatever baseball role he pours himself into because his gifts for reading, understanding and seeing the game before it happens are as sharp as his on-the-field skills were in his prime.
From throat-slash gestures to basketball-themed vacations, my stance on all topics Molina tends to be: “Trust in Yadi.â€
Please keep this context in mind when reading what comes next.
For those who have decided Molina becoming the next Cardinals manager must happen, and happen in rapid fashion, how do you skip over the fact Molina doesn’t exactly seem to be maximizing his impact on the team in the role he has right now?
People are also reading…
Fire away with the rotten fruit and vegetables — I’ve put on my helmet.
Finally named a special assistant to the president of baseball operations this offseason after a long process to determine his proper title and role, Molina’s presence this season can be described the same way as Paul Goldschmidt’s swing: missing.
He wasn’t at spring training. He hasn’t made a regular-season appearance with the major league team in his official capacity. At last check, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak and Molina had discussed Molina spending some time with the organization’s young catchers this summer, Post-Dispatch teammate Derrick Goold recently reported.
It seems to me like a really good time for Molina to spend some time with the major league catchers and the big club in general.
The reeling Cardinals just lost starting catcher Willson Contreras until at least the All-Star break due to an arm fracture. He was the only hitter in a locked-up lineup doing consistent damage. There’s no guarantee his power will be back when he is, at least not at first. (Tommy Edman has become another reminder of how the Cardinals can be too optimistic when projecting returns from injuries and the surgeries they require.)
Ivan Herrera, to whom Molina gave his nod of approval as a potential heir before his retirement, will spend the present in the spotlight as the last-place Cardinals try to keep from being beaten into a seller’s stance for the second consecutive season.
Pedro Pages, who has six major league games beneath his belt, is now the secondary option.
Herrera, 23, has started 32 games behind the plate in the majors entering this road trip. Pages, 25, has started one. Contreras can help some while healing and rehabbing, but few in the world have the firsthand catching knowledge obtained by Molina and his catalogue of more than 2,000 starts across two decades. Beyond that, a team in need of a lift could just benefit from seeing Molina walk through the clubhouse door.
Yes, I have an idea what the response to that last line will be.
IF A TEAM COULD GET A LIFT FROM MOLINA JUST WALKING THROUGH THE CLUBHOUSE DOOR, THAT’S JUST MORE PROOF MOLINA SHOULD BE THE MANAGER!
Those calling for the firing of third-year manager Oli Marmol seem to keep forgetting something. Or perhaps they’re choosing to ignore it instead.
Regardless of whether he should’ve been, Marmol was not threatened when Molina accepted his special adviser role with the Cardinals. He was actually pleased. He had initially hoped for more. What his first preference would have been was a place for Molina on his coaching staff and in the dugout daily. It didn’t happen, but it wasn’t due to lack of interest or effort from Marmol.
One thing Marmol has consistently done since he got this job is attempt to surround himself with talent regardless of perceived threat level, from former bench coach turned Marlins manager Skip Schumaker to current bench coach Daniel Descalso to temporary bench coach Matt Holliday, who, despite conspiracy theories, simply bit off more than he could chew and decided against missing pivotal moments in the blooming baseball careers of his sons.
I give Marmol credit for wanting to add big been-there-done-that names to his staff. Some managers say they are all about doing what is best for the team. Others say it and also do it. Marmol’s stance in this case has been an example of the latter. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see how it can backfire on you if enough wins don’t follow, especially when you work for a front office that has, over the years, successfully convinced ownership (and many fans) that changing players, coaches and managers is the right cure for losing — just as long as the front office remains the same.
Marmol, to me, does not seem to be the reason Goldschmidt looks entirely out of sorts at the plate. He’s not the reason Contreras is now hurt, either. An organization and catcher agreeing to improve pitch-framing skills by moving him closer to the plate — it worked — doesn’t mean the catcher isn’t responsible for avoiding swings.
I crushed the Cardinals for mishandling Contreras last season. And they did. The floating of a position change for him was absurd. I can’t crush Marmol for Contreras putting his arm in the wrong spot this season. Sorry. Marmol isn’t to blame for the front office’s insistence on justifying Steven Matz’s contract as a starter, either. That stubbornness now threatens what had been improved pitching.
And if you blame Marmol for all of those things, then perhaps give him some credit for how the defense has improved, like he stressed it would, and how he’s proving he can weaponize a bullpen that finally has multiple legitimate options.
In the end, it’s about winning, period. Marmol is now under .500 as manager. I reminded during spring training that all his much-discussed contract extension really guaranteed was a public sign of good will out of the gate and more money if that stance dissolves before the agreement’s end. This front office is not known for its manager loyalty.
Many would love to see Molina manage regardless of who he would replace. I get that. But while many rush to beat the Molina-as-manager drum, it seems fair and appropriate to note that Molina has missed chances to leave fingerprints on this team despite having a role with the organization that would allow him to if he chooses. And before you tell me Molina being distant is smart because why should he want to help this bunch, remember, he took the job. Now it's May, and the season seems to be nearing a crossroads, and if the Cardinals had not made such a big and public display of hiring back Molina, there would be no tangible signs they did.
That’s not a knock. It’s an observation. Flexibility came with the gig. Molina was allowed to shape this role as he wanted. Seeing how it’s shaped up so far, it seems a bit premature and perhaps a little disingenuous to assume he’s ready to embrace the marathon grind that is managing in the majors. Being able to do it and doing it are two very different things.Â
Marmol and his team are searching for a breakthrough. It’s threatening to get late early again. They just got kicked in the face, to borrow a phrase from Brendan Donovan, by the Contreras injury. Special adviser Molina could help these catchers and this team if he was around more, even while we all wonder what Molina as manager could do one day.