Former Cardinals Division Rival Praises Yadier Molina As Top Catcher

The St. Louis Cardinals are fortunate to have had one of the greatest catchers of all time in future Hall-of-Famer Yadier Molina. In fact, a strong case can be made that Molina is the greatest defensive catcher of all time.

However, that hasn't stopped people from overlooking his greatness. Despite his prowess as a catcher, some omit him from their lists of the top catchers of all time.

Jonathan Lucroy, a former MLB catcher and division rival of the Cardinals, took to X to defend Molina, criticizing anybody doubting his place on the list of the greatest catchers the game has ever seen.

"Great players on this list but with no Yadier Molina I can't take it seriously," Lucroy posted on X.

"I also don't understand how you have a "greatest catchers ever" list and it has guys that were bad catchers but great hitters. I know that the position is all encompassing, but I did this for 27 years and there is way more to catching than hitting. Yadi is one of the best ever, bottom line."

Molina won nine Gold Gloves and even had an eight-year run of winning a Gold Glove from 2008-15. He was also a 10-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger, a four-time Platinum Glove winner and a two-time World Series champion.

The 42-year-old's accomplishments speak for themselves. He made his MLB debut in 2004 and was St. Louis' everyday catcher from 2005 until his retirement in 2022. In addition to his two World Series titles, he also was a part St. Louis' pennant winning teams in '04 and 2013.