West Newsmagazine 3-21-18

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MARCH 21, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
CARDINALS SALUTE 2018
By WARREN MAYES
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Molina: ‘Three more years, three
more chances’ to win a World Series
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Yadier Molina knows there is no Fountain
of Youth. Every ballplayer knows someday
it must end, even for the great ones.
Molina will turn 36 during the 2018
season. He plans to catch for the Redbirds
through 2020 when his current contract
ends. Then, he can ride off into the sunset.
“Three more years,” he said before spring
training began. “That’s it.”
The three-year, $60 million contract,
which begins with the upcoming season,
will be the last one he ever signs. He looks
like he’ll be worth the investment.
The ageless backstop is coming off a
2017 campaign in which he experienced a
surprising resurgence in power, posting the
second-highest home run total [18] of his
career and his best since the 2012 season.
Molina hit .273.
He accompanied the long-ball haul with
a career-best 82 RBIs and even swiped
nine bases, equaling the second-highest
total of his long major-league tenure in that
category as well.
Molina appears slated to catch another
130 to 140 games in the coming season, the
norm for his career. His offseason workout
routine also has not changed and he doesn’t
like taking questions about how many
games he can play. In fact, he’s reluctant
to comment other than to insist he won’t
change his mind about retiring in 2020 and
that he’d like to crown a 17-year major
league career with another World Series
championship – or two, or three.
“I can’t wait to grab that trophy in
November or October,” he said. “I can’t
wait. Three more trophies. Three more
chances.”
Molina said he is happy to have José
Oquendo back as a Cardinals coach. The
two are great friends.
“I talk to Oquendo all the time. He’s
like my brother and my dad,” Molina said.
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.
We talk about baseball all the time. 24-7.
We just try to figure out what we can do to
win games. To do that with José, you have
to be prepared first. You got to really want
it. For me and José, we talk a lot. Where
[are] we going to put this guy in this position?
What pitch? We talk about baseball
all the time and that’s an advantage. When
you have a coach with that kind of experience,
it’s great to have him on your team.”
He believes Oquendo brings a lot to the
2018 Cardinals.
“Oquendo is a secret weapon,” Molina
said. “We lose him for the last two years
and we don’t make the playoffs. So hopefully
with him on the bench and the work
Molina says he plans to spend three more
years behind the plate for the Cardinals.
[Lou Countryman photo]
he puts in with the defense and the offense,
we can get back in the playoffs. José, I
mean, he likes to be everywhere. He talks
to me during the game. He talks to the
infield. He talks to the outfield. It’s going
to be an advantage for us. We’ll have an
advantage with José. He knows what he’s
doing.”
It’s been rare for a standout player to
spend his entire career with the club. Of
the 11 players and managers to have their
numbers retired by the team, only Stan
Musial and Bob Gibson played for the Cardinals
from beginning to end.
It might not have happened for Molina,
who had a one-year, $15 million mutual
option for 2018 built into his previous
contract. After representing Puerto Rico in
last year’s World Baseball Classic, Molina
made it clear that not only would he not
exercise the option, he was not afraid of
free agency.
But on the eve of Opening Day, word
broke that Molina and the Cardinals would
be paired through the 2020 season.
Molina’s contract delays playing opportunity
for Carson Kelly, 23, the organization’s
second-rated prospect and No. 32
overall according to Baseball America.
He’s appeared in 44 games over the last
two seasons and is expected to start the
season as Molina’s backup.
Kelly, who moved to St. Louis during
the offseason, said he can bide his time for
now. He is not concerned about having to
wait for Molina to retire.
“It’s just being ready when the opportunity
presents itself,” Kelly said of his role
for 2018. “Who knows what’s going to
happen in the future? We can plan all we
See MOLINA, page 45