St. Louis Cardinals Best/Worst Case 2016: Yadier Molina

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Sep 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina walks off the field during a rain delay in the eighth inning during game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /

Worst Case: The Body Just Can’t Hold Up

With the past couple of seasons taken into consideration, the simple fact of the matter is that Yadi is going to have to deal with questions regarding his ability to last for a full season of baseball.

Entering his aged-33 season, Yadi is no spring chicken, as that strange saying goes. He is going to have to adjust to taking on less of a workload, and he is going to have to listen to his body and know when to back off instead of pushing.

The absolute worst-case scenario for Yadi in 2016 would involve him pushing too soon and doing major damage to his chances of prolonging his catching career into his upper-30’s.

Oct 12, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) reacts after swinging at a pitch during the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the NLDS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /

Worst-case, Yadi isn’t ready for Opening Day, and he is not happy about it. He pushes himself past what he can handle, gets into the lineup for a few weeks early in the year, then something blows up again and an extended DL stint is the end result.

Yadi spends all summer on the DL, pushes again to try and be ready for a playoff run, only to compound the injury issues that will have plagued him for three straight seasons now.

The Cardinals miss the playoffs without their leader, and Yadi sets himself way back for 2017, with no certainty of getting back behind the dish in the same meaningful capacity as in the early years of his career.

When Yadi is semi-healthy and in the lineup, he presses in his at-bats as well as behind the plate, and struggles so much that the organization strongly considers the difficult choice of moving on at the catcher position.

To compound the issue, Brayan Pena struggles to mesh with Cardinal pitchers, and the unit’s ERA skyrockets.

Frustration sets in, the Cubs run away with the Central, and the sky comes crashing down in St. Louis.

Man, that was some depressing stuff to type right there…

Next: A More Likely Scenario

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