MLB action resumes once again tomorrow as the first half of the season will official come to a close. Many have already begun giving out their mid-season awards.
So far this season, the National League MVP has been none other than St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.
Now I understand I may come off as a Yadier Molina apologist. However, the current NL batting leader deserves his due.
What Molina does from behind the plate and to the right of the plate makes him the most important player in the NL.
The Puerto Rican-native is batting .341 with seven homeruns and 49 RBIs. He also has a .386 on-base percentage.
With those numbers there’s no debating his offensive contribution to his team. However, let’s look at the other side of the ball.
Molina has thrown out 13 of the 29 players who have attempted steals on him, which is almost half. Also, he only has one passed ball the entire season.
Finally, Molina has commanded a pitching staff with the third best ERA in the MLB (3.39) and the fifth best .BAA (.244). Seven of the 11 pitchers on the Cardinals pitching staff are under either 26 or younger. This displays Molina’s ability to control and handle a young group of guys—an intangible that not every catcher in the majors has.
Also, if you ever watch a Cardinals game, most of the young guys rarely shake him off.
While Molina may not have the 74 RBIs of his teammate first baseman Allen Craig or the 19 homeruns of right fielder Carlos Beltran, he is still the most valuable player on the Cardinals and the most valuable player in the National League.
*Stats according to ESPN.com
