Catcher Yadier Molina one of the strong contenders of NL MVP – MLB News
The National League Most Valuable Player Award is to be announced on Thursday, November 15. Of the Top 5 candidates who have been nominated, St. Louis Cardinals' Yadier Molina is a strong contender.
The player’s evolution as an aggressive hitter in offence has won him resounding recognition. A consistent contributor, he had .315 average this past season, with 22 homers to his credit and 12 steals in 15 tries.
His .315 average was fourth in the National League. With .373 on-base percentage and .501 slugging percentage, Molina now retains a central stage in the club’s offense and defence.
"You could talk all day about how special Yadi is," said pitcher Adam Wainwright. "I think the big thing is that he gives you confidence in many different ways. Guys get on base, you know you can bounce balls. You know you can throw balls to the corners and he's going to make them look like strikes."
Other four candidates in the Top 5 nominees are Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun, Pirates' Andrew McCutchen, San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey and Padres' Chase Headley. While the announcement to be made has all the elements of surprise, Molina is a source of strength for the team, something that is acknowledged duly.
In a year when the club was plagued with injury issues and with all the subsequent challenges that came their way, Molina came forward as indispensable player covering a lot of ground both offensively and defensively.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright said, "His evolution as a hitter is just remarkable. The power that he has now compared to what he used to is maybe five times the amount. He used to be an average, line-drive-to-right type of guy. Now he's able to hurt you a lot of different ways at the plate."
With double advantage going in his favour, Molina has proven his indispensability both as the catcher and batter. On Thursday, the fans will eagerly await the result of the balloting wherein – beyond any shadow of a doubt, all the contenders have equally strong case and credentials to earn the honour as the balloting is completed by Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
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