St. Louis Cardinals: Quarter-Season Awards

Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina 2014 gold glove award presented to him prior to the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; A detailed view of St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina 2014 gold glove award presented to him prior to the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Billy Hurst-USA TODAY Sports
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Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Comeback Player of the Year: Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina for Comeback Player of the Year is a choice that seems odd when you’re talking about a player coming off of not only a Gold Glove award winning season, but a Platinum Glove award winning season. While Molina was still the same defensive beast that he has been since joining the Cardinals, he just hasn’t been the same at the plate.

Yadi has missed significant time over the past two seasons, going down with lengthy injuries in both years. In 2015, he tore a ligament in his thumb that cut his regular season short, but when Molina came back in the NLDS against the Cubs he looked like shell of himself.

Going from one of the Cardinals’ most effective offensive weapons to a liability at the plate. Molina finished the series 1-8 with two strikeouts and sat out of the series ending fourth game.

In 2016, Molina has been a whole ‘nother story. Yadier has recovered from his thumb injury better than most fans thought possible. So far, through 2016 Molina has hit a solid .331/.409/.434 line and has held his ground as the defensive anchor for the Cardinals. That .331 average is .061 points higher than the .270 that Molina put up just last year.

Before all is said and done in 2016, if Yadier Molina keeps up the pace he is currently on, he may be in the discussion for the MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Next: Relief Pitcher of the Year

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