With Yadier Molina and the Cardinals in talks about a coaching job for the longtime catcher, Molina discussed the situation in an interview with 550 KTRS radio (hat tip to Luis Nolla of KTRS for the partial transcript). “I think there is something cooking with St. Louis,” Molina said, estimating “a 90 percent chance that it happens.” After retiring following the 2022 season, Molina revealed that he had offers for some kind of coaching roles from both the Cardinals last year and from the Marlins.
In terms of his coaching future in general, Molina said “I see myself managing, coaching in the United States for a few years. I like it. I am a guy that is fascinated with baseball, and I am passionate about it. To have an opportunity like that I cannot pass….St. Louis has given me the opportunity. It is my second home. There is always a good relationship and communication with them. They are trying to guide me to that way, in the matter of being a coach. They have their staff who have a good job with the team. It would be an opportunity that it will be hard to say no to. I love St. Louis.”
More from the NL Central…
- In other Cardinals news, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered a wide slate of questions related to the Cards in his recent chat with readers, including the possibility of Jordan Hicks and Phil Maton being free agents targets for the team this winter. The Cardinals traded Hicks to the Blue Jays at the deadline, but with Hicks headed back to the open market, “there will be a conversation about a reunion” in St. Louis, Goold writes. Maton could also be “a name to watch,” both due to his ability and perhaps due to some local ties, as Maton went to high school about 90 minutes away from St. Louis in Chatham, Illinois.
- Unsurprisingly, the Cubs will retain Dustin Kelly as their chief hitting coach next season, according to Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Chicago’s lineup made big improvements in 2023, Kelly’s first season on the staff, and his presence might help stop what has been a revolving door of Cubs hitting coaches over the last decade. Sharma/Mooney provide some insight into how Kelly and his three assistant coaches were able to provide more specialized instruction to hitters, keeping communication strong while trying to marry a batter’s personal style to a broader approach. “We come up with team principles that we want to execute. But they still have to go up there and have their at-bat and stick to their strengths,” Kelly said back in September.
- The Pirates are still planning to give Endy Rodriguez and Henry Davis regular reps at catcher next season, though Davis barely saw any time behind the plate after making his MLB debut last season, instead playing mostly as a right fielder. With some lack of clarity of how the playing time will be split up, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opines that the Pirates should just keep Rodriguez at catcher and Davis in right field, as both players might benefit from a clear focus on one position. Rodriguez spent some time as a first baseman, second baseman, and outfielder in the minors, while Davis’ right field defense was shaky enough that he’ll likely need more offseason work to make himself a passable option at the position.
Catching is one thing, improving their hitting while striking out less is another
As long as the Bucs employ Haines as their hitting coach neither of I mentioned will change
Yea, why don’t they try striking out less? Are they stupid?
that IS some arrogance! I wish my team would adopt that logic!
Heck, the Red Sox are reportedly talking with Andrew Bailey about being the pitching coach. That makes a Yadi-as-coach scenario look brilliant.
Wow…. ground hog day posting at it’s best. Any thoughts on the actual topic – what to do with Endy and Hank?
Listened to The Fort on a rather lengthy podcast recently in which he said Haines isn’t the problem. He said he’s one of the 5 smartest guys he’s ever met in the business.
He said they aren’t creating an environment for big league success.
FWIW
Redbird fans will have to do mental gymnastics to avoid criticizing Yadi the coach. I’m here for the crash and burn.
That man could probably take a dump on StL from the top of the arches while wiggling Yadi Jr and giving the finger to everyone who passed and still be a saint to Cards fans. He’s the man there.
For awhile. Give it a few years of crappy performance on the field and they’ll call for his head.
It’s a great concept til it goes to isht.
Which McDonalds sign would he be atop?
Might improve the look of St Louis city. And I’m sure a bunch of cardinals fans would be watching with open mouths.
You guys are weird AF
Sfes, Your commentary is why they need to have a place for a thumbs down.
Oh right, I say one of your great players has immense love from the fans, albeit in a dirty joke, and the rest of the commenters talk crap about your city and fans and MINE is the one that ticks you off. I’ll get off your lawn, grandpa.
It will be interesting to see how Davis can handle catching at the Major League level. He really wasn’t known as a defensive backstop in college, but he certiantly has the arm. Will be fun watching them next season, bot Endy and Henry.
Doesn’t look he can. If he is so awful he can’t catch meaningless games in a meaningless season it will be some special coaching to make him good enough for a meaningful season.
He didn’t seem to do too bad at Triple-A and showed some improvement last season prior to his call-up.
With Delay there, I think they played it safe and tried to teach him right field. Maybe if they trade Delay it’ll end that. I can only think of two examples right now, but it seems like first base is a better option for a catcher’s second position. Because it doesn’t seem right to draft a guy 1-1 as a catcher, have him catch through the minors, then bring him up and say play right field and be the emergency catcher.
Derek Shelton seems to have an unhealthy obsession with moving guys all over the diamond instead of letting them settle in and establish themselves at one position.
Examples?
Joe, Castro, Peggy, Nick G, Triolo, Endy, and Davis…that’s just a partial list of 2023. He’s been doing it forever.
They put poor Hoy Park in right field last year for a couple of games and he was wandering around like a little leaguer.
Reminded me of JHay in right field. Harrison is very versatile, but in the OF he had a habit of making routine catches look spectacular because his initial reads were bad and he had to sprint to catch up to them. And Hoy Park is no Josh Harrison.
Endy didn’t really play anything other than catcher in the majors. When the Pirates acquired him, he had already played a handful of games in LF/RF/1B in the Mets’ system. Peguero had struggled with throws from shortstop in the minor leagues. Joe had already moved around between LF/RF/1B with the Rockies, as well as throughout the minor leagues. Nick Gonzales had also been a shortstop in college and still mostly played 2B when he was in the majors. Castro had also played a lot of shortstop and third base in the minor leagues.
The only ones who really were moved by Shelton were Davis, Triolo, and Bae. Even then, Triolo had played a handful of games at shortstop pre-Cherington/Shelton.
Peggy played SS and 2B as he did in the minors, Castro played mostly 2B a bit of SS and 3B if Hayes needed a day off. Castro played all of those in the minors. Nick 2B and some SS as he did in the minors Trolio replaced Castro in his roll when Castro was traded. He added 1B after Santana was traded and did well. Joe was primarily OF until Santana and Choi were traded and he added some 1B. Endy played all of 2 innings at 1b in the show. and caught the rest of the time. Davis primarily played RF and that was the plan when BC brought him up. That is not an unhealthy obsession with moving guys all over the diamond. Most of the moves were due to the roster that was handed to him.
JHay played OF with an IF instinct. Took a step in on contact then “OH CRAP!!” and took off. after the ball. Hoy was just not real good unfortunately.
@ Mlb1225-Triolo is not going to move Hayes off 3B so he had to learn to play elsewhere. I see him as another JHay but not with the OF thrown in. He can play solid D around the IF and if he keeps hitting will be the newest super sub.
This was a reply to @Scott Kliesen
If Hoy had been able to hit, we might have lived with it a little better. Lee Lacy was never a stellar OF after being moved out of the infield, but the guy was such a good hitter, it’s hard to remember his deficiencies in the OF. More recently, Josh Bell’s first half of 2019 almost made you forget just how terrible he was at 1B.
Perhaps the most glaring example I can think of, though, is the Cubs putting up with Soriano in the OF to get his bat in the lineup. He misplayed at least a dozen balls against the Pirates alone – I’d imagine Cub fans held their breath every time the ball was hit to him.
All awful examples. Davis is a dh. They just threw him in outfield because they don’t care. Caught 2 garbage innings or whatever. I only seen Endy play catcher but in minors I seen he can play ok outfield, passable 2b. It’s not moving him around to mess him up, it’s called keeping a catching prospect athletic and healthy. His bat was projected to play so good to have options. The other guys haven’t earned the right to start and have much less value if they can only play 1 position. Between Cruz injury and Alika audition there was no ss so someone had to play there. Only uncoordinated losers think playing multiple positions makes you much worse. All those guys played different positions in minors. Glove either plays or it doesn’t. Just have to learn responsibilities and positioning. Joe played 1b rf in Colorado. Every team has guys like this.
Interesting take. I could “play” any position on the field when I was young enough to do so. I was better at some than others (I needed glasses and didn’t know it when I was young and struggled with catching). That being said, I struggle to understand where you’re coming from in relation to playing multiple positions.
A professional player will nearly instantaneously evaluate the potential outcomes of a given play and act on the most likely thing to happen – think Ke’Bryan Hayes. Execution depends on muscle memory, prior experience and athletic ability. You can be adequate defensively with one of the three, good with two, and elite with all three.
No coach in the world is able to teach EVERY potential responsibility any fielder might have on a given play, no player is capable of remembering every single one they’ve been told. Davis played in RF because there was an opportunity to get him MLB ABs, while also helping him develop a new skill set to open opportunities for both Davis and Endy to get into a lineup. Davis is athletic and has a good arm, but had no experience.
I assume as someone who was 24 at one point in your life, you’d have enough insight to understand how Davis’ failures on the field + his first sustained looks at elite pitching + his desire to impress and prove his 1-1 status could get into his head a little. Bell faced the same pressures (as at least a “can’t miss” prospect) but had more time in the minors to refine his bat. Because Bell hit early in his career, fans and management were more willing to overlook his defensive shortcomings – though in Bell’s case he was not good at any position (an example of a player just not being able to learn and apply his knowledge toward execution). Bell knew his responsibilities and positioning and was still pretty awful at 1B (and still is), Henry was trying to learn that in-game.
Bae and Marcano were the first 2 that come to mind for me. They’ve needed a 2B, so I say put either or both of those guys there for a week or 2 at a time. Instead Bae spends half his time in CF, Marcano in LF or SS. Some would say they never hit well enough to warrant a longer look; I say maybe one reason they didn’t hit as well as they could is that they’re worrying about multiple defensive positions instead of concentrating on one.
I like versatility when it’s helpful, like off the bench or in case of injury. Versatility just for experimentation I’m not a fan of.
Well said @Monkey’sUncle
I think that the Pirates wanted Marcano to be their super sub in a similar manner as SRod was.Bae was not given enough time to be really good at either position,He is another one who needs a half year in AAA learning to play a position well.
I think that both these young players can become reasonably good ML players but they need to be told what positions to concentrate on so that they can maximize their fielding skills.
That is a common complaint of Shelton like he is the only manager that does that. the way teams are constructed now with limited bench positions every team has guys that play multiple positions.
The problem is they have to focus so much time and energy to learning and playing un-natural positions, it hampers their offense.
Not everyone can be a JHay type player for Pirates.
Not saying that everyone could be a JHay type. Only saying that most teams do much of the same thing. With only a couple of guys on the bench besides catcher, guys have to be able to play in more than one spot to have a spot on the bench. Shelton is certainly not the only manager that moves players around.
It’s a pretty common thing in baseball these days to favor the athlete over the player who knows the game. The Pirates are not alone in their hubris of believing they can teach people new positions at the highest levels of baseball. The best athletes/quick learners are able to cover their mistakes well enough at times to be passable (JHay), while others are just not able to absorb the nuances of a new position while maintaining their game in the box.
To your point about “natural positions” – it takes 10,000 hours of practicing something to master it. Hayes clearly had his 10K hours in at 3B years ago, Hank at best has about 300 in so far in RF. A true professional ought to be able to separate the fielding from the hitting, but I wouldn’t expect that from any rookie eager to prove himself. I think we’ll see improvements on both ends next season, now that Hank is settled in a little.
Monkey- I think that moving players from position to position is not only with the Pirates but with other teams as well.
Does it make sense that Davis cannot play right field because he has never played there before?
They need to find out whether he can catch,number 1.He and they need to find it out in AAA.He will need to be available in Pittsburgh in case Endy gets hurt,but only if he can catch.
They need to decide in two months,and,if he cannot,he needs to learn to play another position in AAA and not the ML’s.
And I do not think it is Shelton’s obsession but Cherington’s.It is outright stupid to think that any player can play any position,number 1,and number 2,if they can,they must get the proper training.
I saw Bryce Harper play first base this year and he is was passable,but certainly not a natural.Little mistakes can mean lost games.
It is valuable for a catcher to learn other positions as the guy literally running the on-field defense. Henry has the physical tools to be a RF, but as a former outfielder myself, I can attest that the position is more than just judging fly balls. It takes practice to understand how the ball will likely fly off of a bat given a specific pitch and location. And even then it’s not a guarantee.
Catchers see bizarre popups in the air, and generally are barehanding anything on the ground – that’s a totally different skill set than an outfielder. Outfielders field balls on the ground with the intent of timing out a crow hop with a strong, accurate throw; they position themselves to catch certain fly balls with the intent to throw or have to make a split second decision about taking it on hop, off the fence, etc. Those things only come with reps – something Henry is getting – while making a fair number of mistakes along the way.
When the Astros attempted to move Craig Biggio, they first tried him as an outfielder. He was borderline dreadful (8 errors in less than 100 games). Only after two seasons of tinkering around did the team try him at 2B. He was so successful there that almost no one remembers that he was a catcher for 3 full seasons before moving out to 2B.
Point being, Hank needs some time. He should get reps at both C and RF, maybe even 1B. It will eventually sort itself out.
I agree whole heartedly. Hank has the tools but lacks the experience. I caught some but played a fair amount of OF years back. OF is not the same in any of the 3 positions. At least the Bucs are keeping him in RF to learn and not bounce him to LF or CF.. His only real issue is taking the correct path to the ball. Practice is good and helps but game reps is the only way to really learn that. He has made mistakes but the longer he was out there the less he made. Started looking a bit better on routes. Some of his mistakes also tended to come from being overly aggressive and diving for balls he should not be and them going to the wall. Both are correctable. We shall see how much Hank improves come spring training.
Why not put Endy or Davis at first and have the other catching. It fills in the holes.
Davis better make huge steps if he wants to catch. So far he can’t catch, can’t play outfield. What makes you think he can play 1b. One of the few players who doesn’t improve with reps. Looks just as bad at catcher as when drafted and just as bad in outfield today as his first time being put out there.
@YDGM Reminds you of Nelson Cruz, don’t it? Horrible defensively and find their name in DH role.
What if robo umps were installed by 2025 (I have no real guesstimate)? IMO there is real value in making Hank a passable catcher (especially combined with Endy as a job share) as his bat makes that a plus position. Realistically in any scenario Endy is likely to do more actual catching, but if Hank can be the other half and can spend time at DH (Cutch likely gone by ’25) then you check some boxes on our contending lineup. I do think they need to settle on Hank’s plan B position, if that is outfield, then when he is not catching he needs to be shagging flies. If his bat explodes then making him more of a full time DH could be the plan, but IMO it is too soon too make that decision. Of course the other advantage to having 2 catchers is one could be used in a big trade for a starting pitcher (future statement if both fully pan out).
Most likely a challenge system so framing will be just as important. Still has to call games, block balls, throw out runners.
I guess I am the only one who seen his 2 mlb innings or whatever of catching. It looked like they lost all their catchers and there was some crazy nhl rule where a fan could be brought in to catch. I thought it was ok fans here you go. You seen him catch now can we put a end to everyone asking him to catch. But they kept saying he was going to catch and they let him do it again. Why not 5 10 or 15 more times? Guy isn’t a natural or fast learner that’s for sure. They say he is a hard worker. Didn’t improve at all at catcher or as outfielder. I hope somehow something clicks or something. Bat really needs to be something if he can’t play a position or 1b. I am not counting on him to be able to play 1b.
Endy needs to catch period.
If Davis cannot catch he needs to learn how to play right field.
That arm is too good to waste.
If Yadier Molina returns to the Cardinals dugout as a coach, Oliver Marmol will have even more of an image problem than what he already has, because if the Cardinals have a winning record in 2024, most to all of the Cardinals fans will say it was because of the return of Yadi, and Marmol will get no credit. But if the Cardinals have a losing record in 2024, the fan base will demand Marmol to be fired and for Yadi to be named as Manager.
You mean like the way they were better with Schumaker as bench coach.
Why in the hell can’t the Pirates just rotate the 2 between catching and DH??
Andrew McCutchen, that’s why. As long as he is on he roster he will be the DH.
Why in the hell can’t the Pirates just rotate the 2 between catching and DH??
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Because you probably don’t want to make your #1/1 a DH in his first full season.. And having a C/DH combo is unusual.
Some people aren’t made for defense. It’s not valuable to force them into a spot because of a draft position or their age. We twins fans had the same problem with Sano at 3B. If a player is a bad defender no matter where you try them you gain value by moving them to DH even if they’re young
Davis has to learn how to catch first.
Why in the world does Mozeliak not just go ahead and fire Marmol now and not draw out this painful drama.?
Just another example of Cardinal bad GM decisions.
He needs to be fired as well
We all watched Molina for 19 seasons, folks, we know what he’s not going to put up with, how he takes charge and that he won’t back down. Seriously, five months into retirement he managed team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and took them to the Quarterfinals. Add that to being a 10-time all-star, a two-time World Series champion, a two-time National League Champion, nine Gold Glove Awards and four Platinum Glove Awards — what more could you ask for in a manager?
He was the catcher of my fantasy baseball team and I didn’t need a backup as he played nearly every game.
Some of the best managers never played much in the Show and never won awards for playing. Guys that are stars tend not to deal well with guys that need taught things as they never needed taught so therefore have an issue trying to teach what they can just do.
Some of the best managers were also catchers. Molina was a coach on the field for a decade. He was a successful player because he did his homework studying thousands of hours of video on all the hitters in the league. That’s why he called great games and pitchers almost never shook him off on a pitch. He also positioned the defense most of his time behind the plate. No one knows the game better than Yadier Molina.
Yes, many were,. Not many great ones were HOF caliber as a player. Not a lot of HOF caliber players do well as a manager or pitching coach. Not saying he can’t but just because he was a HOF player does not guarantee he will be a great manager.
You are arguing with yourself. No one has said Molina will be a good coach because he was a HOF player. We’re saying he’ll be a good coach based on personality and overall knowledge of the game.
Molina should have just saved some breath and said: “I want Marmol’s job.”
Molina was a coach on the field when he was playing. I think he will be a good one off the field.
There’s literally nothing here mentioning the Marlins. Why are they in the title???
Nice for Molina
Molina was connected to possibly coaching there.
Reading is hard
Pirates catcher situation all depends if they figure out how to hit in the MLB. They don’t hit who cares lol. Endy probably the better option to start of the two
They played more than half this year with a catcher that couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.
Endy was pretty bad too. Still was a nice offensive upgrade over hedges lol
I think that Endy will be a 270-280 hitter while catching well but his career hitting year will have been 2022.
Get Pete Rose to come in and show the Pirates batter how to hit. I think it is a crime that Pete is not allowed to share his knowledge of hitting. He can volunteer to do it and the player can Zelle his cash directly when they start hitting better and striking out less.