ESPN analyst makes strong Hall of Fame claim for Cardinals legend

Recently, the St. Louis Cardinals recognized Yadier Molina for his illustrious career. He now owns a prestigious Red Jacket. He first tried it on in front of the same crowd he grew up alongside. Still, that’s just the first post-career milestone for Molina to tackle. The next comes in Cooperstown. 

Molina is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive catchers of all time. His arm taunted would-be basestealers, his chest protector swallowed baseballs (sometimes literally #pinetar), and nobody could call a game like number four. 

“Yadi” is one of the game’s players who not only evolves as his career fades, but ascends. 

Modern analytics can now quantify just how absurd Molina’s impact was behind the dish. Furthermore, from a more emotional standpoint, other players haven’t let up on the stories and recollections of Yadi’s greatness. 

He’s got Hall of Fame aura.

One of the game’s best modern analysts couldn’t agree more. 

ESPN’s Paul Hembekides thinks the world of Cardinals’ Yadier Molina 

In a recent appearance on the Just Baseball Media podcast, ESPN’s Paul Hembekides offered his thoughts on the greatest catcher of all time.

“I view him as one of the top-100 greatest baseball players that ever lived,” Hembekides said. “Granted, it is a non-standard opinion, and I’m comfortable with that, because the batting line was below average.”

Hembekides then explained why Molina’s impact might still not be entirely understood.  

“I don’t believe that WAR properly values catchers, just in general. I think especially in Yadier Molina’s case, the combination of baserunner prevention, stolen base prevention, his ability to manage pitching staffs–we can see the enormous delta between his catcher-ERA, if you will, and those who backed him up. And the fact that we know he was a premium framer–this is one of the greatest players of all time.”

Then, much to the dismay of opposing fans everywhere, Hembekides finally unveiled the truth about Molina’s defensive excellence. 

“He’s the greatest defender of the 21st century,” he announced. “Despite the fact that the batting line is ordinary, and despite the fact that we watched his entire career, I actually still view him as a fairly underrated figure historically.” 

Hembekides couldn’t have hit the nail on the head any harder, and Cardinals fans were no doubt nodding in unison. 

Molina’s impact on a baseball field sent shockwaves through St. Louis that rang until the end of his career. He defined not only the area behind home plate at Busch Stadium during his tenure, but also the men on the mound, while functioning as a clubhouse leader. 

There may never be another Cardinal who does it like Yadi. There might not ever be another player who does it like Yadi. 

Hembekides is an incredibly smart analyst, but it doesn’t take a mad scientist to crunch those numbers. 

The greatest catcher of all time belongs in Cooperstown, shoulder to shoulder with number five. 

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