8 Cardinals we were wrong about to start the season

5. Yadier Molina

Fans and the team took Molina for granted. After 19 seasons with the season, it should have been evident that he was the heart and soul of the Cardinals. Sure, he was beloved by fans. He was known to be a savant behind the plate, leading the Cardinals' pitching staff never to question what they should throw.

Molina is now retired. He is enjoying doing what he wants for the first time in years. Fans are now clamoring for him to come back in some capacity but should allow the man some rest and the opportunity to reset after a long career behind the plate.

Hopefully, Molina imparted some wisdom and confidence to the pitchers he worked with. Hopefully, he gave them the tools they needed to be successful. Hopefully, he did that for Andrew Knizner and Ivan Herrera. While Willson Conteras and Tres Barrera admired Molina from afar, they both worked with pitching staff.

It's frustrating to see the team struggle in the first season post-Molina. His legacy should be honored, with the pitchers remembering what they learned. Instead, they are seemingly laboring to execute their pitches with a new pitch coaching in Dusty Blake, whose experience in the organization has been as an analyst.

It's all enough to make you miss seeing Molina in the dugout.