Milestones that St. Louis Cardinals players could reach in 2022

Another all-time Cardinal is calling it quits after this year, as Yadier Molina is preparing to ride off into retirement at the same time as Pujols.  While Yadi doesn’t have the glowing statistics of his teammate, the catching position doesn’t lend itself to such offensive output.  Still, Molina is closing in on some impressive totals.

Games caught: Molina is one of only six catchers to squat behind the dish for 2,000 games, and with 67 more appearances there, he’ll become one of only four players to do so 2,200 times, joining Ivan Rodriguez (2.427), Carlton Fisk (2,226), and Bob Boone (2,225).  With 94 more games caught – a reasonable goal for Mr. Durable behind the dish – he’ll pass Fisk for second place all time.

Hits as a catcher: With another 22 base knocks so far this year, Molina is up to 2112 hits for his career while serving as a catcher.  (He has another 22 during his minimal time at other positions and while pinch-hitting.)  Ahead of him on the list?  Rodriguez (2,749 hits), Jason Kendall (2,160), and Fisk (2,145).  Will Yadi reach safely another 49 times and slide past Kendall into second place on this list, too?  Absolutely.

Total Bases as a catcher: Figuring out how many of those 22 non-catcher hits were singles, doubles, triples, and home runs isn’t easy, but Molina has 3,070 total bases overall, so even if all of those additional hits were homers – which, of course, they’re not – he still would have 2,982 total bases as a catcher.  That’s ahead of Johnny Bench (2,976) for fifth place, and it makes it semi-plausible he could surpass Gary Carter (3,201) for fourth place.  Maybe not, but who’s going to tell Yadi he can’t do something?

Home runs as a Cardinal: Molina recently passed Ted Simmons to set the St. Louis franchise record for home runs by a catcher, currently at 173.  If he can clear the fences nine more times, he’ll move into eighth place among all Cardinals players, displacing Jim Bottomley.

Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright have been synonymous with the Cardinals franchise for nearly two decades.  And because they’ve been partnered together for so long, they just set one record and are closing in on another.

With their 203rd win as a starting battery on May 15, they surpassed the Braves duo of Warren Spahn and Del Crandall at the top of that list.  This Thursday night, May 26, they will pair up for the 313th time, moving them within three of Spahn and Crandall for the most starts together, and when (not if) they appear in 325 games together as a battery, they’ll have first place all to themselves, putting the Tigers’ Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan in the rear view mirror.

Of course, it’s not just about the Cardinals’ three eldest players.  A few others have significant achievements on the horizon.

Paul Goldschmidt needs 13 home runs to reach 300 for his career.  Another 40 RBI will push hit total to an even 1,000, and Goldschmidt will reach that mark in runs scored after he crosses the plate another 36 times.  How’s that for balanced performance?  Plus, another seven steals will give him 150 total.

Nolan Arenado will match Goldy’s 300 homers with another 22 big flies.  He also has a very good shot at getting halfway to the 3,000-hit club this season, with another 98 hits putting Arenado at 1,500.

If and when Paul DeJong can work his way back to the majors, he’ll need just three homers to reach the century mark for his career.

The rest of the roster is inexperienced enough that major milestone achievements are targets for their faraway futures, dreams to pursue in the hopes of making them reality.

For this year, much of the focus is on the old guard, putting the finishing touches on their Hall of Fame, or nearly Hall of Fame, credentials.  And each time they take a step closer, their place in the annals of baseball history, especially St. Louis Cardinals history, is cemented that much more firmly.