Tag: Yadier Molina

The sensibility of the Pierzynski signing

~ Dan Johnson ~ Leave a comment

A.J. Pierzynski has seen his share of the league, playing for six clubs across a 17-year career. While he only stayed in two cities for longer than a year, he’s also had a measure of success behind the plate. For that reason, among others, his recent change of scenery should reap benefits.

Shipping out of Boston

When Boston released the catcher on July 16, it was fairly clear the 37 year-old would get a shot to help out another team down the stretch. Some in the media have attributed his release in part to clubhouse issues, though that may not be the whole story.

It remains the Red Sox aren’t going anywhere this year, and they decided to part ways with Pierzynski. The man who takes his place, Christian Vazquez, is 23. It seems to make sense for the Sox to figure out what he can do in an everyday role while David Ross, also 37, spells him as the veteran backup. Pierzynski didn’t fit into the Red Sox’ plans, so they let him go, which turned out to be a good move for everyone involved.

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Impact injuries

~ Dan Johnson ~ Leave a comment

Injuries play a major role in the direction a team takes when approaching the trade deadline. Injuries to a few impact players can drastically change the team’s momentum and approach. Occasionally a club can work around such an injury to a degree of success, but it’s not an easy task. It’s usual for a number of contending clubs to have this issue in the middle of the season, and this year is no exception. The current injury situation among teams like the Cardinals and the Yankees provide some excellent examples for observation.

Losing the league’s best catcher

The Cardinals may have to change their strategy after losing one of the game’s best catchers, Yadier Molina, for 8-12 weeks. The Cards are undeniably better with Molina, but will be without him until at least mid-September. Though I couldn’t find the win-loss records, last year he was worth 5.5 WAR, and he was on pace for over a 4 WAR this year before the injury.

It’s not just his bat that contributes to wins, though — Molina has won five straight Gold Glove awards and the team has a losing record when he sits. For a team that has won at least 85 games every year since 2008, that speaks volumes to his ability to manage a staff and run the game. Removing that sort of presence can have disastrous effects.

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