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Former St. Louis Star, Future Hall of Famer Given Managerial Job in Dominican Republic

It seems as if the former backstop is working his way up the coaching ladder.

Brady Farkas

Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning against Nicaragua at LoanDepot Park in 2023.
Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina looks on from the dugout during the sixth inning against Nicaragua at LoanDepot Park in 2023. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Former St. Louis Cardinals star and future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina has been named the manager of Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League.

The popular Cespedes Family BBQ had the news on social media:

incredible LIDOM news: Águilas started 2-7 so they fired their manager and hired Yadier Molina

in related news: Albert Pujols is managing first-place Leones del Escogido

(Águilas plays Escogido on November 5)

Molina certainly seems to be working his way up the coaching ladder and could become an option for Major League jobs in short order. In addition to this job in LIDOM, he also managed Puerto Rico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He managed the Puerto Rican team just months after completing his playing career.

According to an article from MLB.com, Molina has also managed in Venezuela already.

One of the best players of the 2000s, Molina spent 19 years in the big leagues, all with St. Louis. The best defensive catcher of his era, Molina was a nine-time Gold Glover and a four-time Platinum Glove winner. He was also a 10-time All-Star, a Roberto Clemente Award winner, a Silver Slugger and a two-time World Series champion.

Lifetime, Molina hit .277 with 176 home runs. He received MVP votes in five different seasons. He also had two top-five finishes.

Remarkably durable, Molina played more than 100 games in every full season from 2005-2021. He played 42 of a possible 60 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He played only 78 in 2022, his final season in the big leagues.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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