St. Louis Cardinals: Yadier Molina, Jason Heyward Earn 2015 Gold Glove Honors

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Two members of the 2015 St. Louis Cardinals experienced a familiar feeling on Tuesday night, as catcher Yadier Molina and right fielder Jason Heyward earned National League Gold Glove awards for their respective positions. Molina eighth Gold Glove adds to a Cardinals’ franchise record for catchers, while Heyward received his third Gold Glove honor after his first season with St. Louis. 

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For a Cardinals team that committed 96 errors in the regular season and faced defensive difficulties in the postseason, Molina and Heyward stood out as the team’s defensive catalysts. The duo combined for one of the Cardinals’ most pivotal plays in the regular season, when Heyward battled the heavy winds of Wrigley Field before throwing out Anthony Rizzo from right field on a long throw caught by Molina.

In his twelfth season with the Cardinals, Molina logged the most innings of any catcher aside from Kansas City’s Salvador Perez, while compiling a .994 fielding percentage and an 8.39 range factor. Molina also maintained defensive composure in the regular season by throwing out 26 base runners, most notably tracking down young speedsters Gregory Polanco, Billy Hamilton and Byron Buxton.

Heyward finished the 2015 season with an aggregate .990 fielding percentage and only three errors, highlighted by challenging catches against the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals in the regular season. The impending free agent provided defensive consistency with various stints in right field and centerfield, as the Cardinals shuffled their outfield combinations near the end of the season.

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The Cardinals honed two Gold Glove recipients in the same season for the second time in the last three years, as Molina received honors alongside starting pitcher Adam Wainwright in 2013. St. Louis is one of only four Major League teams with multiple Gold Glove representatives this seasons, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals.