Recent Hall of Fame votes surrounding catchers provides optimism for Yadier Molina

The Hall of Fame voting has concluded, and Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner are now Major League Baseball Hall of Famers.

While none of these inductees have direct connections to the St. Louis Cardinals, two other players on the ballot could give us a hint of what former Cardinal Yadier Molina's Hall case might look like. Molina, who retired after the 2022 season, won't be on the ballot until 2028. We still have to wait three more years to see what comes of one of the best Cardinals in franchise history.

Cardinal fans know that Molina is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He won't make it on the first ballot; very few players do. However, he stands a good chance to be elected to baseball's most prestigious group of former players by the time his term on the ballot is up.

From a counting statistic standpoint, Yadi accumulated 2,168 hits, 176 home runs, and 1,022 runs batted in. He played in 2,224 games across nineteen seasons.

Molina is also well decorated. He attended 10 All-Star games, he has nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and he won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2018. He was also a member of both the 2006 and 2011 World Series champion ball clubs.

Yadier Molina's case for the Hall is bolstered even further by his defensive work. He has the highest defensive WAR total according to FanGraphs at 373.8 among all catchers in baseball history, and his total trails only Ozzie Smith (375.3) among all players all time.

Below is a chart detailing key statistics for catchers of Yadier Molina's era. Players who seek entrance into baseball's top tier of remembrance must have succeeded in these areas of the sport.

Recent Hall of Fame voting paints a murky picture for Yadier Molina's case in 2028.

Joe Mauer was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and his statistics back that up. He was an MVP, a three-time Gold Glover, a three-time batting champion, a six-time All-Star, and a five-time Silver Slugger recipient. He recorded 2,123 hits, 143 home runs, and 923 RBIs. Mauer's MVP trophy paired with his 2,000+ hits were key in his case.

Buster Posey will be eligible in 2027 for the Hall of Fame, and his fate may be very telling for Molina. Posey, too, won an MVP and Rookie of the Year award, and he went to seven All-Star games, won three World Series, received one Gold Glove, held the batting title in 2012, and he won five Silver Slugger trophies. Posey amassed 1,500 hits, 158 home runs, and 729 RBIs.

Russell Martin and Brian McCann, two catchers who were on the latest ballot, didn't receive enough votes to stay on the ballot past their first year. Russell Martin received nine votes, a 2.3% share, and Brian McCann received only seven votes, a 1.8% share of the total voting population. Since neither backstop reached the 5% mark, they'll both be taken off the ballot.

Russell Martin was a four-time All-Star with a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger to his name. His best seasons came in 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2014, but he didn't quite reach the highs that are necessary to be dubbed a Hall of Famer. He had just 1,416 hits, 191 home runs, and 771 runs batted in. The highest Martin finished in MVP voting was 13th in 2014. Martin's calling card was his defense throughout his career, similar to Molina.

McCann was a much more decorated catcher. He attended seven All-Star games, won six Silver Sluggers, and was an All-Star Game MVP. He recorded 282 home runs, 1,590 hits, and 1,018 RBIs. McCann finished 21st in MVP voting in 2010, and his peak years from 2008 through 2011 featured him accumulating 14.8 bWAR. McCann was known more for his offense while playing.

Of the catchers in his era, Molina surpasses all four in hits and runs batted in, and he is the only one of the bunch to have received the Roberto Clemente award. Character is a factor for voters to consider. He surpasses all catchers except for Buster Posey in fWAR.

The results of Brian McCann's and Russell Martin's Hall of Fame cases don't paint an overly inspiring picture for former Cardinal legend Yadier Molina. These two catchers of his era were off after their first year on the ballot. However, Joe Mauer was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and that could bode well for Molina's case.

Hopefully, voters are able to focus on Yadi's impact on the field on both sides of the ball along with his commitment to one organization for his entire career. His resume is lengthy, but will it be enough to make the Hall of Fame? We'll have to wait and see.