“Are people still gonna try to say he’s not a Hall of Famer?” - MLB Reddit reacts to St. Louis Cardinals legend Yadier Molina setting the all-time record in putouts

Major League Baseball legend and longtime St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina just set the all-time Major League Baseball record for a catcher in putouts with 14,865. The record was previously set by Ivan Rodriguez, often regarded as one of the greatest catchers of the recent generation.

A putout is recorded when a fielder completes the out, and putouts happen commonly with a catcher involved. An amount as high as Molina has recorded in his career is absolutely incredible, and it really shows his longevity as a catcher.

Yadier Molina entered the league back in 2004, and since then, has played over 2100 games behind the plate. It is almost unheard of from a catcher because of how physically demanding the position can be.

Most catchers often switch to a less physically demanding position like first base or the outfield later in their careers, making this feat by Yadi so much more impressive.

Since his rookie season in 2004, Molina has racked up 10 All-Star appearances, nine gold gloves, four platinum gloves, and two World Series Championships with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2006 and 2011.

Yadier Molina has fully established himself as one of the greatest catchers of this generation, thus sparking the debate of whether or not he should be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In light of this enormous accomplishment for Molina, MLB fans have begun to debate whether or not Yadi is worthy of making the Hall of Fame.

Should Yadier Molina be in the HOF?

Due to his lack of ability at the plate compared to other Hall of famers, Yadier Molina potentially going into the Hall of Fame has always been controversial. Molina has a career .279 average, a .730 OPS, and even won a Silver Slugger award back in 2013, which is still pretty solid.

However, this paired with his impeccable defensive ability and the sheer amount of success and hardware Molina has accumulated over the years, many fans think now that he definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. The fans had this to say:

There were also some people talking about how long Yadi has been in the league. Especially for younger fans, Molina has been in the MLB for as long as people can remember.

With his mix of longevity and lockdown defense, Yadier Molina will go down as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. He has been a staple of the St. Louis Cardinals for the past 18 years, and will be missed once he retires.