Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina is regarded as one of the greatest defensive catchers ever, anchoring the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly two decades.

Yadier Benjamín Molina was born on July 13, 1982, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, the youngest of three sons of Benjamín Molina Sr., a standout amateur player later inducted into the Puerto Rican baseball hall of fame, and Gladys Matta. Baseball ran deep in the family: both of Yadier's older brothers, Bengie and José, also became major league catchers, making the Molinas one of the sport's most remarkable baseball families — each of the three brothers has won at least one World Series ring, and Bengie and José were teammates on the 2002 World Series-winning Anaheim Angels. The St. Louis Cardinals drafted Yadier in the fourth round of the 2000 draft out of Puerto Rico, signing him for $325,000, and he debuted in the majors in June 2004 — the same year he helped the Cardinals reach the World Series, where they fell to the Boston Red Sox. Molina quickly established himself as one of the finest defensive catchers of his generation, renowned for his cannon arm, his game-calling, and his ability to control opposing basestealers. Molina anchored two Cardinals World Series championships, in 2006 and 2011, forming a legendary battery with pitcher Adam Wainwright that set MLB records for career starts and wins together as batterymates. Over 19 seasons, all spent with St. Louis, he made 10 All-Star teams and won nine Gold Glove Awards, becoming the first catcher to win Gold Gloves in nine separate seasons in franchise history. His postseason résumé is exceptional even beyond his two titles — he played in four separate World Series for the Cardinals (2004, 2006, 2011, 2013), batting .328 in 21 Fall Classic games. Molina retired after the 2022 season having caught more games for a single franchise than any player in baseball history — 2,184 games, more than 2,000 of them for St. Louis alone — and his .99490 career fielding percentage ranks among the best ever recorded. He remains a beloved figure in St. Louis, where his uniform number 4 is synonymous with the franchise, and in January 2026 he rejoined the Cardinals as a special assistant to the president of baseball operations, tasked with mentoring the next generation of catchers.

Defensive specialist with strong game-calling abilities

One of the greatest defensive catchers in MLB history

• 2x World Series champion (2006, 2011)
• record 9x Gold Glove (catcher)
• 9x All-Star
• Silver Slugger (2013)