The term GOAT (Greatest of All Time) is being thrown around a lot lately. Many people associate it with the greatest athletes, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods to name a few. When it comes to the GOAT of catchers in the MLB, some might throw the name Yadier Molina around. A fifteen year MLB veteran, Yadier Molina’s net worth tops out at $45 million.
A native of Puerto Rico, Molina has spent his entire professional baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Although he was drafted in the fourth round in 2000, he didn’t make his major league debut until 2004.
During his rookie season in 2004, Yadi appeared in 51 games for St. Louis. It wasn’t until 2005 that he became the lead guy at catcher for the Cardinals. He is known as being a very solid hitter at his position. His career batting average currently sits at .283 and he has belted over 130 home runs thus far.
Many regard Molina as being one of the best catchers of all time. It is his fielding ability behind the plate that has people calling him the GOAT. He is an eight-time Gold Glove winner. His most recent Gold Glove came during the 2015 MLB season.
While his hitting and catching ability are both impressive, the thing Yadi has to be most proud of are his World Series rings. He has helped lead the Cardinals to two World Series titles in his career. Molina played a critical role in helping the Cardinals win titles in both 2006 and 2011.
When it comes to getting paid, Yadier Molina is not shy about it. He knows very well he is deserving of a top salary. For the 2018 season, Yadi is the third highest paid catcher in the entire MLB and has the highest salary of any Cardinals player.
Just before the start of the 2017 MLB season, the Cardinals and Yadi agreed to a 3 year $60 million extension. He is scheduled to make approximately $20 million in salary for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 seasons. This extension has helped to greatly increase Yadier Molina’s net worth.
Molina is set to turn 36 years old this season. With two more years remaining on his contract, he will be one of the oldest if not the oldest starting catcher in the MLB during the 2020 season. Many have begun to wonder what the Cardinals plan to do after their catcher reaches retirement. Currently, Yadi’s backup is a 28 year old named Francisco Pena who the Cardinals acquired during the offseason.
Even though Yadier Molina stays close to St. Louis during the baseball season, he still maintains a residence in Puerto Rico where he is from. He has two older brothers, Benji and Jose Molina, both of whom had successful MLB careers of their own.
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James Hendrickson is an internet entrepreneur, blogging junky, hunter and personal finance geek. When he’s not lurking in coffee shops in Portland, Oregon, you’ll find him in the Pacific Northwest’s great outdoors. James has a masters degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelors degree on Sociology from Earlham College. He loves individual stocks, bonds and precious metals.