Yadier Molina went 4-for-5 with a grand slam on Tuesday against the Pirates.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has been white hot lately, with four multi-hit efforts and three home runs in his last six games. His batting average is now up to .296. Owners struggling at catcher should add Molima for the home stretch.
Category: Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-4 with a solo home run on Friday against the Reds. It was his second consecutive game with a home run.
Fantasy Impact: It's been a rare power burst from Molina, who now has just six home runs on the season. Molina has been hot lately, with four multi-hit efforts in his last nine games. Own Molina for his batting average, and any production he gives you in the counting categories is gravy.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI on Tuesday against the Mets. Molina is now batting .284 on the season and .328 in August.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is a bit of an empty batting average, but with the state of the catcher position in fantasy baseball, his stats are useful. Given that he's been hot of late, he's not a bad streaming option if you're struggling in average.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 with a solo home run on Tuesday against the Reds. It was Molina's fourth home run of the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is now batting .364 in August, but is largely an empty batting average play at this point. With just a .735 OPS on the season, Molina provides little value, other than his ability to compile mediocre counting stats by virtue of his consistent playing time.
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Yadier Molina was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning on Monday against the Reds. Molina's RBI HBP won the game for the Cardinals, who rallied from four runs down in the ninth inning to win 5-4.
Fantasy Impact: Molina also went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Although he does not contribute much in the counting stats, his playing time and solid batting average (.333 in August, .279 overall) provides value out of the catcher position in mixed leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI on Friday against the Marlins. It was Molina's fourth straight multi-hit game, and he is now batting .329 in July.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has been raging hot of late, and has his season-long batting average back up to .275. He has very little power, but provides reliable, if unspectacular, numbers from a shallow position.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the first game of the Cardinals' doubleheader on Wednesday. It was Molina's third home run of the year.
Fantasy Impact: Molina remains a relevant fantasy catcher based on the pure volume of his play, but contributes little in any fantasy category. At this point, Molina is more of a high-end second catcher in rotisserie leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-3 with a solo home run on Friday against the Brewers. It was Molina's second home run of the season.
Fantasy Impact: After a hot start, Molina really cooled down over the last month-and-a-half, and is batting just .257. Molina's pure volume makes him a play in NL-only leagues or two-catcher leagues, but he's far from consideration in standard mixed leagues.
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Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a run scored on Wednesday against the Astros. It was Molina's second three-hit effort in his last three games.
Fantasy Impact: After slumping for most of May, Molina has gotten back on track in June, batting .310 with five runs scored and four RBI. Molina doesn't hit for much power, but provides a decent batting average, runs scored, and RBI totals for a catcher. He's a high-end second catcher.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 with two runs scored on Wednesday against the Reds. Molina is now batting .261 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has been productive this year, but that is largely a product of his huge number of plate appearances for a catcher. He will never do much in the way of any single category, but contributes just enough in everything but steals to make him a borderline relevant catcher in mixed leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina is just 2 for his last 34 at the plate over his last 10 games. Molina's batting average has dropped from .313 to .266 over that span.
Fantasy Impact: Molina played much more often than expected in the early going after Brayan Pena injured his knee in early April, and it appears to be catching up with him now. Without the solid batting average, Molina barely makes it as a low-end second catcher, and should be benched in all but the deepest of mixed leagues or NL-only leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-4 with a home run on Saturday against the Diamondbacks. It was Molina's first home run of the season.
Fantasy Impact: It has been quite a bounceback season for Molina. Although this was his first homer, he's been contributing in every other category, even throwing in a couple of steals. It's fair to say that Molina has climbed into relevancy in even one-catcher leagues at this point. He shows no signs of slowing down.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina hit a tiebreaking two-run pinch-hit double on Sunday night, lifting the Cardinals to a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers. He is now batting .333 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is still without a home run on the season, but his solid batting average and decent runs and RBI production for a catcher make him a borderline starter at this point in one-catcher leagues. Although Molina has two offseason thumb surgeries and is turning 34 years old in a few months, he shows no signs of slipping. He's a decent option if you're looking for consistency.
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Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 with a run scored on Wednesday night against the Angels. Molina is now batting .325 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina just continues to produce batting in the middle of the Cardinals' lineup. He's not flashy, but given the lack of reliable catchers for fantasy purposes, Molina is a breath of fresh air. His lack of power probably keeps him just outside of the top-12 catchers, but you could certainly do worse if you have a lot of power elsewhere.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-4 with two RBI on Sunday against the Pirates. Molina now has 12 RBI on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Consistency, thy name is Yadier Molina. He is a solid source of batting average, and provides a decent amount of RBI and runs for a catcher, but just has little to no power at this point. Molina's best attribute is that he plays almost every day, so he will continue to provide useful stats based on pure volume. He's still outside of the discussion for the top 12 catchers.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-5 with a run scored on Monday against the Phillies. Molina is batting .333 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has yet to hit a homer so far in 2016, but the rest of his production has been stellar. He's showing no signs of slowing down, and should continue to be a high-end second catcher.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-3 with a walk in Thursday night's loss to the Diamondbacks. The single extended his hitting streak to 10 games, in which his batting average has been .363 with three extra base hits.
Fantasy Impact: Yadi's batting average of .333 is the highest among catchers for 2016. However, with an ISO of only .107, the upside here is still limited.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-4 with an RBI on Sunday against the Padres. It was Molina's sixth straight game with at least one hit. He is batting .338 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Although he has yet to hit a home run, it has been a pretty fantastic start for Molina. He's chipped in eight runs, nine RBI, and even a steal to go along with his .338 average. Molina's lack of power and upside still leaves him just outside the top 12 catchers, but he's a strong second catcher, and a decent short-term option in one-catcher leagues if you need some batting average help.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 on Tuesday against the Cubs, driving in a run. He is batting .327 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: It has been a great start for Molina coming off two offseason thumb surgeries. His lack of power keeps him off of the catcher-1 radar, but he's a solid option in two catcher leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 2-for-4, driving in a run with a pair of singles in the Cardinals' 6-4 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is in the midst of a four-game hitting streak, collecting seven hits since Apr. 9. As an offensive threat, Molina is worth taking a chance on, with a .303 batting average, third highest on the Cardinals, while recording 10 hits, the second-highest total on the team.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina had a solid night at the plate on Monday against the Brewers, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. He is batting .276 on the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is off to a solid start this season, and he is playing more often than expected in the early going after the injury to Brayan Pena. Molina's lack of upside keeps him outside of the starting catcher range in single-catcher leagues, but he is a definite start in two-catcher leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina, who was not in the original lineup for the Cardinals' Tuesday game versus the Nationals, has been added to the starting lineup. Molina's bruised toe, which caused him to be a scratch on Monday, surprisingly passed the necessary tests before the game and he will start at catcher. (Source: Jenifer Langosch on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: This is obviously a good sign that Molina's bruised toe is not serious. Fantasy owners can expect him to be ready to go when the regular season begins.
Category: , Injury Updates
Yadier Molina is out of the lineup for Tuesday's spring training game against the Nationals. Molina was scratched from Monday's lineup with a bruised toe. (Source: Jenifer Langosch on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: There is still nothing to indicate that the injury is serious enough to threaten Molina's status as the opening day catcher. Fantasy owners should continue to monitor the situation, but there is no real cause for alarm just yet.
Category: , Injury Updates
Yadier Molina was scratched from Monday's spring training game against the New York Mets. (Source: Derrick Goold on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Molina was scratched from today's lineup with a bruised right foot. Draft him as is but do not expect much from him outside of a respectable batting average.
Category: , Injury Updates
Ben Frederickson reports that Yadier Molina appears to be "ready" for the Cardinals' opener. Although Mike Matheny has not confirmed that Molina will be behind the plate on opening day, he said that he has been pleasantly surprised with Molina's progress, and suggested that Molina will start absent a setback. (Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Fantasy Impact: Molina is coming off two straight down and injury-plagued years. At 33-years-old with thousands of innings behind the dish, Molina's well into the decline phase of his career. Still, given the dearth of reliable catching options, a healthy Molina should be drafted as a low-end second catcher in rotisserie leagues.
Yadier Molina is expected to resume swinging this week as he continues to recover from thumb surgery. (Source: Cardinals.mlb.com)
Fantasy Impact: The Cardinals are optimistic that Molina will break camp on the team's active roster. However, St. Louis could decide to start the year with the veteran backstop on the DL. Whatever the case, the team is hopeful that Molina can be their primary catcher in 2016.
Category: , Injury Updates
Yadier Molina was behind the plate to catch his first bullpen session of the spring on Monday. He's returning from thumb surgery. His status for Opening Day remains unclear. (Source: Derrick Goold on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Considering the Cardinals signed Brayan Pena as insurance, it would seem the team is going to take a cautious approach with the veteran Molina. While Molina could be forced to spend time on the DL to open the season, he's not expected to miss much beyond the minimum requirement of 15 days.
Category: , Injury Updates
Wed, Oct 7th 10:04am EDT
By Brad Richter
Molina was examined by a hand specialist on Monday and following the exam, Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said that the Cardinals were "optimistic" that Molina would be on the postseason roster. Molina has been out since September 20, when he injured his left thumb against the Cubs in a play at the plate. (Source: Jenifer Langosch on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: The Cardinals would certainly welcome Molina back to the lineup for the postseason. Molina is a key member of the Cardinals World Series hopes from both a defensive and offensive perspective. Molina ended the year with a .270 average with four home runs and 61 RBI.
Category: , Injury Updates
Cardinals catcher/philosopher-king Yadier Molina has been sidelined since he partially tore ligaments in his left thumb against the Cubs on Sept. 20. Initially, team and player held out hope that he'd be able to return at some point in the regular season. Now, though, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that Molina will definitely miss the final days of the regular season, as he's been asked by doctors to rest his hand for another week (Source: CBSSports)
Fantasy Impact: Molina was putting together another solid season (.270 AVG, 4 HR, 61 RBI) for the Cardinals before he suffered a left thumb injury. This is a huge loss for the Cards and the timing of his injury could not have been worse.
Category: , Injury Updates
The MRI for Molina on Monday showed that there was a slight tear in the left thumb. Molina will undergo another evaluation in about a week. Molina is hopeful to return before the end of the regular season. (Source: Chris Hrabe on Twitter)
Fantasy Impact: Fantasy owners in redraft leagues should drop Molina and find another option at catcher for the remainder of the season. Tony Cruz will serve as the primary catcher for the Cardinals while Molina is out.
Category: , Injury Updates
Molina injured his left thumb making a swipe tag at home plate in the 8th inning to prevent the tying run from scoring against the Cubs on Sunday. Molina finished catching the 8th inning, but was removed for the 9th inning. Molina is schedule to have a MRI on Monday to determine if the thumb injury will require him to miss any time. (Source: mlb.com)
Fantasy Impact: If Molina misses any time it could have the biggest impact to the Cardinals pitching staff who rely on Molina's defense and game calling. Molina has had a decent season at the plate, currently batting .270 with 4 HRs and 61 RBI. Tony Cruz would likely fill-in as the primary catcher if Molina misses any time.
Category: , Injury Updates
Yadier Molina scored one and knocked in one of nine runs from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. The veteran catcher finished the game 1-of-5 and now carries a .278 average with four homeruns and 60 RBI.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is never going to carry your fantasy team, but he won't hurt much either. With a solid average, and RBI total, Molina is a solid No. 2 catcher. Molina is a reliable fantasy fill in on off days or in case of an injury.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina did not record a hit in Sunday's contest and finished 0-for-3 in the game. The entire St. Louis Cardinals lineup went dormant on Sunday night as they only recorded four hits against Pittsburgh Pirates' pitching.
Fantasy Impact: Despite the 0-for-3 showing, Molina still holds a solid .275 average and 59 RBI. The home run total is very low, and fantasy owners could complain about that, but Molina remains a consistent, solid low-end catcher in standard leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina has been heating up at the plate. On Tuesday, Molina added a little more fuel to the fire as he went 1-for-2 with a double, walk, run and two RBI.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is quietly putting together another solid all-around season. With a .381 average in the last seven games, he is seeing the ball well and making sold contact at the plate. Molina is down on home runs this season (4), but continues to provide some pop with a .283 average and 53 RBI.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals got just six hits on Monday, but it was enough to defeat the Pirates by the score of 2-1. Yadier Molina provided a big blow with a home run in the fourth inning. It was Molina's third home run of the season and he's now batting .280.
Fantasy Impact: Molina continues to be very consistent at the plate He has a decent on-base percentage of .318, although provides little power, as his .363 slugging percentage indicates. Molina is still a solid bat behind the plate and one of the better fantasy options in the league.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals fell to the Pirates on Thursday, 10-5. Yadier Molina knocked in three of the five runs for the Cardinals, increasing his season total to 43. Molina finished 1-for-2 with a walk and is now batting .283 for the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is still a very steady hitter, but doesn't supply much power. Teams struggling behind the plate can certainly benefit by having Molina's bat in the lineup.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals increased their lead over the Pirates to seven games with a 4-2 win over the Pirates on Wednesday. Yadier Molina played a key role, going 2-for-4 with a double, triple, RBI and run scored. Molina is now batting .282 this season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has only two home runs, but has knocked in 40 runs. His batting average nearly matches is career mark and has an OPS of .680. Molina still is one of the better overall fantasy catchers in the league.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina keeps on hitting for average. The Cardinals' catcher finished Friday's game 2-of-3 with two singles a walk and one strikeout.
Fantasy Impact: Molina isn't the most attractive fantasy option, but he is pretty reliable. The home runs (two home runs) aren't there and the power is well-below where owners hope it would be, but Molina isn't going to hurt your team. Molina isn't the best option in daily leagues, but he's a mid-to-low tier option in standard leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
The hits just keep on coming for Yadier Molina. On Friday night, Molina finished the game with two more hits (2-of-3), a run and a walk.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has four multi-hit games in the last five contests and is settling in at the plate rather nicely. The St. Louis Cardinals backstop is one of the most consistent in the game and fantasy owners should continue to play him night in and night out.
Category: , Game Recaps
In five plate appearances on Tuesday, Yadier Molina finished with three hits. Molina also chipped in with two RBI in the contest and raised his average .005 points from .279 to .284.
Fantasy Impact: Over the past three games, Molina has recorded six hits and three RBI. It's a pretty solid opening to the second half of the season for the St. Louis Cardinals catcher and he should continue to produce a high average and decent RBI total.
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Yadier Molina only saw one at bat in the 2015 All-Star game and made the most of it. Molina singled in his lone plate appearance and was one of six hits in the game.
Fantasy Impact: Molina did his part for the National League. One plate appearance and one single is not a bad day for the St. Louis Cardinals catcher. Molina had a solid first half of the season and should continue his strong start into the second half.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina went 1-for-3 against the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. The St. Louis Cardinals catcher had a single and a run in the game.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is putting together a fine first half of the regular season. Sure, Molina isn't putting up huge power numbers (two home runs, 28 RBIs), but he has a solid .289 average and isn't going to hurt your fantasy team in any category. Maybe Molina's 2011-2014 home run days are over, but he is still one of the best contact hitting catchers in the game.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals used eight hits to defeated the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, 4-1. Yadier Molina played a key role, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Molina's two-hit night raised his average to .293 for the season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina only has two home runs, but has 15 doubles and has been a steady hitter. He's still a top-notch defensive catcher and plays regularly. Fantasy owners should feel comfortable inserting Molina into their every day lineup.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals pounded Phillies pitching for 16 hits in a 12-4 win on Friday. Yadier Moiina had a big game, going 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored and a walk. Molina is now batting .291 this season.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has now hit safely in his last six games. While he only provides limited power, Molina has a .291 batting average and a solid .707 on-base percentage.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina finished Tuesday's ballgame against the Minnesota Twins 1-of-3 with a double, walk and a run scored.
Fantasy Impact: Sure, it was nice to see Molina hit a home run on Monday, but contact is where his value lies. Molina may only finish the year with 10-15 home runs, but consistent box lines, like today, make Molina a valuable asset across all leagues.
Category: , Game Recaps
The Cardinals got a big game from Yadier Molina in their 3-2 win over the Twins on Monday. Molina went 3-for-4 with a home run. The home run was Molina's first of the season and he raised his batting average to .287.
Fantasy Impact: Molina's still a top-notch defensive catcher and will give owners a solid batting average. But his power has significantly declined, as his .349 slugging percentage indicates.
Category: , Game Recaps
Molina did not record a hit in the St. Louis Cardinals 0-2 loss to the Dodgers on Saturday night. He did add one walk and one strikeout to his final line.
Fantasy Impact: Molina is off to a slow start for the month of June. He is batting just .235 along with two runs and one RBI in six games. There are plenty of games left in the month for Melina to rebound. Owners are hoping for another May repeat (.308 average, 32 hits) and perhaps his first home run of the season.
Category: , Game Recaps
The St. Louis Cardinals got eight hits, but no runs in a 5-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals in Friday. Yadier Molina had a good game, going 2-for-3 with a walk. Molina has his average for the season up to .302.
Fantasy Impact: Molina has hit safely in eight of the last ten games, although he has only one extra-base hit in that period. He has yet to hit a home run, but has an on-base percentage of .355. Molina will be in the lineup nearly every game and is a consistent fantasy producer at catcher.
Category: , Game Recaps
During Friday night's game in Milwaukee, C Yadier Molina, took a foul ball off his right knee, while catching in the 4th inning. He remained in the game for the extent of the at-bat, and even came out for the 5th inning but was removed while SP, Carlos Martinez, warmed up. Tony Cruz finished the game behind the plate. (Source: STLToday)
Fantasy Impact: It seems like Molina probably has a bruise from the impact of the ball, and this shouldn't be a major concern. Right now he is being listed as day-to-day, and it is probably safe to assume that he won't be in the lineup on Saturday night. He could also miss Sunday's game too, but If he doesn't play on Monday against the Phillies then you can be concerned.
Category: , Injury Updates, Game Recaps
St. Louis Cardinals C, Yadier Molina, helped the Cardinals to best the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night with a 3-hit performance, which included his 2nd RBI, and raised his AVG to .240.
Fantasy Impact: Molina had a terrible spring followed by a slow start, but his timing is coming around and he is starting to swing with more authority. Although, all of the hits were singles, tonight could help jump start his offense. Expect the power to show up soon.
Category: , Game Recaps
St. Louis Cardinals, C, Yadier Molina, went 0-for-2 from the plate with a pair of strikeouts and walks, which means that he failed to put a ball in play, in a game with four plate appearances, for just the fourth time in his 1352 game career. If that wasn't unusual enough for the veteran catcher, he also allowed a passed ball, which happened just three times in 104 games (as a catcher) last year.
Fantasy Impact: Injuries in 2014 limited Molina to just 110 games, which was the least he has played in since he was first called up in 2004. As a result, Molina used the offseason to drop 20 pounds, which subsequently led to easily the worst Spring Training of his career. Normally, a model of consistency, it is hard to predict what to expect this season from the Cardinals backstop.
Category: , Game Recaps
Yadier Molina lost 20 pounds over the offseason. He was quoted by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch "I want to be ready for the season, I can catch every day." Molina had a handful of injuries last year, which prevented him from playing more then 110 games. (Source: Rick Hummel)
Fantasy Impact: Losing 20 pounds should do wonders for Molina's knees and should ease some pressure on them. However, his major injury was due to a torn ligament in his thumb for sliding into a base. The predictions on his performance this season have been a mixed bag. Spring Training should shed some light as he progresses.
