Molina down and out (8-12 weeks, w/torn thumb ligament)

[AZBrewCrew]

In all seriousness, im not a stathead like some on here, but aside from his offensive worth, how much impact does a player like Molina have on his pitchers abilities? I know Lucroy is great at framing pitches and that helps some of our pitchers get calls, but how much does an injury like this really affect the rotation.

[jerichoholicninja]

After that, they will probably bring Pierzynski in and he will roll back the clock 10 years.

 

As long as he doesn't roll back the clock 2 years.

[rondoman]

Actually Molina is one of my favorite players to watch. I like watching good ball players.

[jjkoestler]

That's... Um... Too bad? Get well soon neck tat.

[PrinceFielderx1]

I'm sorry, but Molina is an idiot in the way he acts. Plus, I could call a better game than him.

[Pugger]

I would use a .gif of him making that god-awful crying eyes thing he did to us in the playoffs a couple of seasons ago, but that image draws up so much rage within that I just can't do it.

 

What is .gif?

 

Anyway, this is terrible for the Cards right now, but if they manage to make it to the post season he will be rested and very dangerous. Nobody knows how Tony Cruz will play when suiting up every day, but if he can bat .260 and curtail the Martinez/Shelby Miller wild pitch caravan we might still get a wild card.

 

I can assure you that there will be lots of tears in their Budweiser beers tonight at Busch Stadium. I don't know the nature of the BP/Hamilton injuries (or Baily for that matter) but without them the Cubbies they finally beat the Reds.

 

This is a window that the Pirates and Brewers could slide right through.

 

Not if we don't get out of this funk we are in right now.

[Pugger]

god i hate that guy

 

I have no regard for him either.

[JohnBriggs12]

I respect Molina. He's been the main reason the Cards have to be reckoned with year after year. I don't mind the smugness. He backs it up. Great players always seem smug, besides he's got Cardinal fans telling him how great he is. It's only natural that some of that sinks in.

 

All that being said, the Cardinals aren't going away with Molina down. Brewers own smugness has cost them a big lead. Management had a "see no evil" attitude when they were winning, thinking they could manipulate arby years for their best prospect, carry a 25th man who wasn't contributing, and basically not being proactive in trying to improve the roster.

[logan82]

carry a 25th man who wasn't contributing, and basically not being proactive in trying to improve the roster.

I know but when you carry 2 guys at 1B and 2B you kind of have to put up with guys like Schafer, Bianchi, and Herrera instead of a decent bat on the bench.

[jerichoholicninja]

...carry a 25th man who wasn't contributing...

 

Do you ever make a post that doesn't contain your distaste for Wang?

[hawing]

I was actually looking forward to Jonathan having the opportunity to make a difference later in the all-star game, so part of me is let-down by this development. Plus, as splitter says, you want the best players to be available.

 

I guess if something had to happen to Yadier, I'm selfishly glad it came against some team other than the Brewers. No one needs the distraction of goofball conspiracy theorists.

 

Like others here, though, I'd hardly count STL out of contention. How'd they do in 2011 again, without Adam Wainwright? I know that losing an everyday player is a different hazard, but if any team strikes me as a "next man up" baseball machine, it's these guys.

 

Besides, every player in every game is one slide, swing, pitch or collision away from being in the same boat or worse. (Plus it's not like there isn't a thumb issue affecting the 2014 Brewers already. If we decide not to call this year the year of Tommy John surgery, we could always call it the year of the thumb injury.)

[kalle8]

schadenfreude.

[logan82]

...carry a 25th man who wasn't contributing...

 

Do you ever make a post that doesn't contain your distaste for Wang?

Only when he posts about his distaste for Weeks.

[Dead Simmons]

I would like to explain Molina to you guys but since I don't know what makes him tick all I can tell you is what I see. On the surface he's extremely shy. In the years he's been on the team I can count on one hand the amount of post game interviews he's done, and he's quick to get out of there. (have you ever heard him speak?)

 

He sits quietly in the dugout taking no part in the occasional hijinx. Since his mentor, Pujols, left the team and he became the #1 man he keeps an even lower profile. Shows of temper are extremely rare, but when he finally explodes he's particularly virulent.

 

He never flips his bat and even seems a bit embarrassed when he does something good. The biggest display I can remember was a little fist pump he did rounding the bases after hitting a HR in his first AB in GABP after the Brandon Phillips debacle. If Brandon had hit it he would have cartwheeled around the diamond.

 

We never see his face on Cardinal promo's and he endorses nothing that I know of, nationally or local. In my mind he would have been the least likely player in baseball to get a Tysonesque neck tatoo. It flies contrary to his nature. It's a mystery and is ignored by fans and reporters alike.

 

It's completely false that Molina is a team leader. He may or may not be an inspiration to some of his mates, but being the center of attention by giving pep talks or dumping Gatorade on game hero's you will never see.

 

Still water may be running deep or the guy could just be self conscience of his bad English. Your guess is as good as mine.

 

[TooLiveBrew]

I don't think self-confidence has anything to do with it with Molina. He comes across as a self-righteous jerk with anger issues, & it appears that he doesn't like social interactions to boot.

[SoCal Brew Crew Fan]

Maybe if Molina were a Brewer I'd feel different...and I have no insight into him either...but rational or irrational and just from watching...to me he is Public enemy #1.

 

That spitting on the umpire meltdown in Milwaukee, the neck tat (of course Prince had one too, but I love that guy!) and just being a Cardinal in every smug, arrogant and holier than thou sense that word defines, makes me completely despise the guy...but I do acknowledge he is one heckuva player.

[Dead Simmons]

SoCal Brew, you don't really mean despise, do you?

[monty57]

Fans of the player's team will generally see their player differently than fans of opposing teams. If Molina played for the Brewers, Reds, Pirates, Cubs or anyone else, the St Louis fans would be screaming the loudest about what a {enter derogatory name here} he is.

 

But I guess in the grand scheme of things, players like him help the game, because he makes it so much easier to cheer against the Cardinals, which builds rivalries, which sells tickets.

[hawing]

I would like to explain Molina to you guys but since I don't know what makes him tick all I can tell you is what I see. On the surface he's extremely shy. In the years he's been on the team I can count on one hand the amount of post game interviews he's done, and he's quick to get out of there. (have you ever heard him speak?)

 

He sits quietly in the dugout taking no part in the occasional hijinx. Since his mentor, Pujols, left the team and he became the #1 man he keeps an even lower profile. Shows of temper are extremely rare, but when he finally explodes he's particularly virulent.

 

He never flips his bat and even seems a bit embarrassed when he does something good. The biggest display I can remember was a little fist pump he did rounding the bases after hitting a HR in his first AB in GABP after the Brandon Phillips debacle. If Brandon had hit it he would have cartwheeled around the diamond.

 

We never see his face on Cardinal promo's and he endorses nothing that I know of, nationally or local. In my mind he would have been the least likely player in baseball to get a Tysonesque neck tatoo. It flies contrary to his nature. It's a mystery and is ignored by fans and reporters alike.

 

It's completely false that Molina is a team leader. He may or may not be an inspiration to some of his mates, but being the center of attention by giving pep talks or dumping Gatorade on game hero's you will never see.

 

Still water may be running deep or the guy could just be self conscience of his bad English. Your guess is as good as mine.

I appreciate your sharing this, DS. I'm going to try to keep your observations in mind when I'm tempted to hate on Yadi.

[Dead Simmons]

But I guess in the grand scheme of things, players like him help the game, because he makes it so much easier to cheer against the Cardinals, which builds rivalries, which sells tickets.

I love rivalries and I can't tell you how much I like the one existing between us and the Reds. The so-called Cubs rivalry thing has always been a mystery to me.

 

I know it existed in the 40's, but since then if one was doing well, the other one wasn't. I doubt if they EVER finished 1-2 from the 50's on. There is a tad of malice toward the Brewers left over from the "untucking" thing a few years back, but when Fielder left so did the malice. Maybe a hot pennent race would re-ignite it? I love having a team to "hate"

 

Did you guys see the skirmish yesterday between the Cubs and Reds? Man! Rizzo was livid. I love this stuff! Just goes to show that this young Cub team, despite their recent roster losses are still quite serious about winning.

[AZBrewCrew]

Its funny how we are all talking about Molina being arrogant and cocky. I was watching a documentary last night (road to the big leagues - its on Amazon prime) and Gomez was in it as was Vlad Guerrero and David Ortiz. Anyhow Gomez said at one point "im the second highest ranked player in this organization and you'll see me when im a big stud in the majors soon". So its not just Molina. Good watch nonetheless

[AZBrewCrew]

Molina's replacement appears to be....none other than George Kottaras.

[Dead Simmons]

Molina's replacement appears to be....none other than George Kottaras.

What? Who is he?

[chadomac]

Former Brewers catcher. I always liked him as a back-up catcher, but apparently he's bad at playing catcher because he has been on a million teams in the past few years despite being a guy that took his walks and hit for good power.

[djoctagone]

the last brewer to hit for the cycle: george kottaras.