Bengie Molina

At 49 years old, Bengie Molina has this physical status:

Benjamin José Molina (born July 20, 1974), nicknamed "Big Money," is a former Major League Baseball catcher, first base coach, and Texas Rangers catching instructor.

José Molina and Yadier Molina, José Molina's older brother, are among the major league catchers. Molina, who started off with a strong arm and an excellent ball blocker, received a Gold Glove award in 2002 and 2003 as the top defensive player at his position in consecutive seasons.

But he also developed into a good contact hitter and a free-swinging power hitter.

He struck out just 331 times between 2000 and 2007, and in 2000, he led the American League in average at-bats between strikeouts by 14.3.

He is the first player in history to run home but not get credit for his effort.

He was regarded as one of the world's slowest baserunners. Bengie now provides color commentary on the St. Louis Cardinals' Spanish language radio broadcast.

Early life

Benjamin José Molina, Jr., was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, on July 20, 1974, to Gladys Matta and Benjamn Molina Sr., the oldest of three boys. He attended Maestro Ladislao Martnez High School in Vega Alta, graduating with honors. As baseball in Puerto Rico is a central component of the island's history, Molina's father played second base as an amateur and worked as a tools technician 10 hours a day in a Westinghouse factory. The former beat leader in Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (or Doble-A Besbol) history, Molina, earned the honor of being inducted into the Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. José and Yadier, Molina's younger brothers, also developed into outstanding defensive catchers with lengthy careers in Major League Baseball (MLB), and each of them has won at least one World Series championship.

Molina's father went straight home, ate dinner with his family, and then crossed the street from his family's house with his sons and his sons' friend Carlos Diaz to Jes' Mambe Kuilan Park, exhausting countless evening hours teaching them the basics of the game. Bengie Sr. was hopeful that his sons would become professional baseball players. Bengie Jr. was not really a catcher growing up; his main positions were outfielder and pitcher; and pitcher.

Personal life

Molina, a native of San Luis, Baja, Mexico, started dating Josefa, a freshman at Arizona Western University. In September 1992, the two became engaged and were married in December. They have two children, Kyshly (born in 1994) and Kelssy (born 1998). Ramón Castro, who his father coached in Little League Baseball, is a good friend of Molina.

Molina lives in Gilbert, Arizona.

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College career

Molina came from high school to the mainland United States. He started studying at Arizona Western College (AWC) in Yuma in 1991 and spent the year with the school's baseball team. The AWC Matadors moved Molina to the position as a shortstop in search of a shortstop. Matadors coach John Stratton said, "He was really skinny." "He just turned 18." And he wasn't a slow base runner. He wasn't a burner, but he was a good runner and was an excellent runner." Molina was named an All-Conference shortstop. He pitched some for the Matadors, including a fastball and a slider, but the fastball only went from 85 to 140 km/h (137 to 140 km/h). Molina praised Stratton for increasing his knowledge of what to do in different situations during games. Stratton attempted to help him get a scholarship to the University of North Alabama, but a lack of funds prevented Molina from attending, and he returned to Puerto Rico.

Professional career

scout Ray Poitevint of the Anaheim Angels was in Vega Alta on May 21, 1993 to assess José. The boys' mother begged Poitevint to look at Bengie, and a workout was scheduled. Bengie impressed Poitevint with his ability to hit line drives, but his slow baserunning proved to be a barrier to his MLB career. "Here's a catcher's mitt." Why don't you throw down to second base and wait to see what it looks like?" Poitevint asked. The Angels had signed Bengie to a $1,000 deal as a catcher for their team two days later. Several aspects of the shortstop position, according to Molina, including the ability to throw specifically, block the baseball, and move the hands quickly, are all key to catching.

Molina's playing career began in 1993, when he appeared in 27 games for the Rookie-level Arizona Angels. He made it all the way to the Class AAA level in 1995 after being named hitter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 1994, but he missed time with a broken wrist. Molina, the third-string catcher for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican winter league, after playing in a career-high 108 games as the Class AA Midland Angels' catcher in 1996. Molina said later that winter with Sal Fasano was like graduate school" for the team's backup catcher.

Despite the education he received, Molina was sent down to Lake Elsinore Storm for the 1997 season. "Too many catchers, not enough spots," he said. However, Molina was promoted to Class AA after an injury to one of the Midland catchers. His playing time was limited due to a hamstring injury. For the first time since 1995, he began the 1998 season with the Class AAA Vancouver Canucks, but he was demoted to Midland midseason. Since being sent down, Molina may have departed baseball, had his father, and veteran minor league teammate Jovino Carvajal were not pushed to keep playing.

Later this year, Molina's decision to continue playing paid dividends. He wasn't initially a September call up, but Molina was drafted to the Angels after Charlie O'Brien broke his right index finger on September 15. The Los Angeles Times referred to him as "Ben" Molina at this time. On September 21, he made his MLB debut on September 21, against the Texas Rangers in the final inning of a 9–1 loss. Before the season, Molina appeared in just one other game for the Angels.

Despite being drafted late in 1998, Molina had "no intention of seeing the Angels" out of spring training in 1999, according to the Los Angeles Times. He spent the majority of the season with the Edmonton Trappers, batting.286 with 69 hits, seven home runs, and 41 runs batted in (RBI). On August 3, he swapped O'Brien for good, and was promoted to replace the veteran who had been waiting for assignment. This time, he was involved in several of the Angels' games. In his first two games (two apiece), he had four RBI in his first two runs, then he had four RBI on August 19, his first home run, against Jim Parque in a 9–2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Molina's season came to an end on September 16 when he suffered a strained left hamstring while running the bases. He batted.257 with 26 hits, one home run, and 10 RBI in 31 games (101 at bats).

In 2000, Molina spent spring training for the role of starting catcher with Todd Greene, a power hitter who had been thought of as the Angels' catcher of the future a few years earlier but was having trouble offensively, and Matt Walbeck. Greene was deactivated before the season started, and Molina took the position. In a 13-11 loss to the Texas Rangers, he hit two home runs in a game for the first time in his career, scoring four runs and recording four hits as well. The game marked the start of a 14-game winning streak that lasted until June 2nd, in which Molina batted.517. "Bengie has certainly stepped up and done the things we never imagined," Angel boss Mike Scioscia said. His only issue was his tenacity and stamina, but he does show that he has the ability to lead a pitching staff to a championship. Molina batted.281 with 133 hits, 14 home runs, and 71 RBI in 130 games. His 70 RBI while playing catcher were the most at-home position in Angels history. He had a.991 field percentage and threw out 37% of attempted base stealers, but defensively. In American League (AL) Rookie of the Year Award voting, Molina came fourth, behind Kazuhiro Sasaki, Terrence Long, and Mark Quinn.

The Angels signed Molina to a four-year deal prior to the 2001 season, with the option to either pay him $3 million for a fifth season or leave him $100,000 to end the deal that year. In 2001, Molina became their starting catcher. Despite this, he was on the disabled list from May 5 to June 26, having strained his right hamstring. José Perez, his brother José, was recalled on the Angels' roster during this season after joining the organization as a free agent during the offseason. "We had hoped to play baseball in the majors as youth." "We never thought we'd be together on the same team," Bengie said. The brothers will remain teammates at the catcher position through the 2005 season, becoming the first siblings to play for the same MLB team after Amos and Lave Cross were with the Louisville Colonels in 1887. Bengie had back-to-back four-hit games on August 22 and 23, which culminated in back-to-back four-hit games. He batted.262 with 85 hits, six home runs, and 40 RBI in 96 games (325 at bats). He had a.991 field percentage and threw out 32% of attempted base stealers, and defensively, he had a.991 field percentage and threw out 32%.

From July 17 to August 1, it was Molina's left hamstring that caused him to be on the disabled list in 2002. Despite the time he missed, he played in 122 games. He hit.245 with 105 runs, five home runs, and 47 RBI in 428 at bats. He made one mistake in 768's best field percentage and led AL catchers by tossing out 45% of attempted base stealers. Molina was named in the Gold Glove Award for his contribution to his role in the development of Iván Rodr's streak of ten consecutive wins from 1992 to 2001, bringing an end to Iván Rodrn's string of ten straight wins from 1992 to 2001.

In 2002, the Angels became the AL's wild card entry. In the postseason, Molina started every game at catcher for the Angels. In Game 4 of the AL Division Series (ALDS), he had a two-RBI double against Ramiro Mendoza, defeating the New York Yankees 9–5 to win the series three games to one. Overall, Molina batted.267 with four hits and two RBI in the series. In Game 4 of the AL Championship Series (ALCS), the Minnesota Twins faced Mike Jackson for his first in two years, defeating Mike Jackson. In five games, the Angels defeated the Twins in.214 with three hits and two RBI. Bengie and José became the first brothers to play in a World Series game together in the 1962 World Series, defeating the San Francisco Giants. All five times he batted in Game 3, becoming the first MLB catcher to do so in a World Series while the Angels defeated the Angels 10–4. As the Angels continued to lose 4-3, J. T. Snow's eighth inning passed ball allowed him to second base, where he scored the deciding run on a David Bell single. Molina had an RBI double against Liván Hernández to tie the game in the bottom of the inning after the Giants took a 1–0 lead in the first innings of Game 7. The Angels defeated the Americans 4–1 in their first World Series championship. Overall, Molina batted.286 with six hits and two RBI in the series.

Molina, who was on the verge of his best season ever offensively in 2003, was a finalist in the All-Star Final Vote, which Jason Varitek later won. Dustan Mohr, a former linebacker, collided with him on home plate, stealing the baseball from Molina's glove and injuring the catcher, allowing Shannon Stewart to score the winning run from second base. Molina broke two bones in the vicinity of his left wrist, requiring season-ending surgery. Molina batted.281 in 119 games (409 at bats), with 115 hits, 14 home runs, and 71 RBI. He had a.993 field percentage and toss out an AL-leading 44% of attempted base robbers, winning his second consecutive Gold Glove Award.

Despite the fact that Molina's wrist was healthy at the start of the 2004 season, hamstring injuries forced him to miss two weeks of spring training as well as the first seven games of the regular season. Scioscia said that the 230 pounds (100 kg) catcher "battles his weight" because it will influence your career and his height. The Angels defeated the Seattle Mariners 7-0 in his first game back on April 13. He hit a two-run home run against Joel Pieiro on April 13. He was on the disabled list twice, from June 4 to 19 with a strained left calf, and August 1 to 17 with a fractured right index finger. Molina declined to talk with reporters until mid-August amid rumors that the Angels may choose to draft 2001 first-round draft pick Jeff Mathis in 2005 rather than pick up Molina's $3 million pick. He batted.276 with 93 hits, 10 home runs, and 54 RBI in 97 games (337 at bats). He had a.995 fielding percentage, but only 26% of attempted base robbers were successful. Molina started just two games of Anaheim's three games as José had emerged as Bartolo Colón's personal catcher and trapped him in Game 2's playoffs. In the ALDS, Molina had one hit in six at bats as the Boston Red Sox crushed Anaheim. The Angels decided to pay him $3 million for the 2005 season in November.

Molina was on the disabled list from April 18 to May 12, 2005, with a right quadriceps strain. In a 3–0 loss to the Oakland Athletics, he had four hits on his 31st birthday on July 20. In an 8–7 loss to the Yankees on July 31, he and José hit home runs against Randy Johnson. He batted a career-high.295 in 119 games (410 at bats), resulting in a career-best.295 with 121 hits, 15 home runs, and 69 RBI. Among AL catchers, only Victor Martnez had a higher batting average (0.35) than Molina. Molina had a.996 fielding percentage, though he led the AL with 10 passed balls. He threw out 31% of suspected base stealers.

The Angels captured the AL West for the second time. In the ALDS, Molina homered in three games against the Yankees. In five games, the Angels defeated the Yankees.444 with five RBI in the series. As Chicago defeated the Angels in five games, he batted.118 against the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS.

After the 2005 season, Molina's deal with the Angels came to an end, the team decided not to pursue him because they were not interested in giving him the long-term deal he wanted. In November, the New York Mets gave him a three-year, $18 million deal, but the Mets rescinded their bid for more. Molina, who was unemployed in January 2006, also agreed to wait until the season was over if he did not receive a deal to his liking. He received offers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays in February on one-year contracts. Despite the fact that the Dodgers gave him more money, the Blue Jays got him the $5 million contract on February 6 because the team had less catching prospects, making it seem more likely that they'd give him a long-term contract in the future. Molina expressed his dissatisfaction with the Angels' treatment of them after signing with them. "The way they let me go without a notice without calling me," Molina said. "They never told me." "They just threw me like a piece of garbage." However, Molina's agent Alan Nero later confirmed that the Angels did indeed inform Molina of their decision.

Molina got off to a rocky start to the 2006 season by throwing out only 13% of base runners in the season's first two months and being outstripped by backup catcher Gregg Zaun. In the end, boss John Gibbons decided on a platoon system, with Zaun getting many of the starts against right-handed pitchers. In August, Molina was one of Toronto's most consistent hitters. He caught all 14 innings of a game against Emiliano Fruto on the 14th of this month, winning the match with a walkoff RBI single against Emiliano Fruto. He batted.284 with 123 hits, 19 home runs, and 57 RBI in 117 games (433 at bats). In 2006, he only threw out 18% of base stealers, a reduced number that he blamed on pitchers' inability to hold runners close to the bases.

After the 2006 season, Molina became a free agent and signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the Giants, which needed a replacement at the position as Mike Matheny had to leave due to concussion difficulties. In the fifth inning of a 9–4 victory over the Mets, he hit two home runs, becoming the first Giant with two home runs in an inning since Willie McCovey in 1977. Molina also had five RBI in the game.

In the sixth innings of a 5–3 win over the Colorado Rockies, Molina scored his 100th home run on September 5, 2007. On September 21, Molina was announced the winner of the Willie Mac Award, which honors the Giant with the most spirit and leadership. He received the most out of a total of 1,617 votes. In the first inning of the game against the Reds, Molina hit a single that featured Dave Roberts for his career RBI number 500. However, the Giants did win 9–8 in 11 innings. Molina batted.276 with 137 hits, 19 home runs, and 81 RBI in 134 games (497 at bats). He walked only 29 percent of the time, the lowest percentage in the National League (NL). However, his 78 RBI as a catcher was the second most in a season by a San Francisco Giant, trailing only Dick Dietz's 104 in 1970. He had a.991 fielding percentage and kicked out 30% of base stealers. For the second time this year, he led his league in passed balls for the second time.

Molina was the Giants' cleanup hitter in 2008 and 2009. Molina defeated the San Diego Padres by two home runs, one of a walkoff one against Cla Meredith in the 11th inning of a 3–2 victory over the San Diego Padres on April 8, 2008. He had a 10-game streak from May 17 to 28, earning the NL Player of the Week Award for May 19-21, with six doubles, a home run, and nine RBI. In a 10–2 victory over the Mets on June 2, he had his 1,000th hit in his 1,000th appearance. He batted.333 through June 9, but dropped his batting average to.282 in his next 34 games until July 26. In a 6–3 win over the Washington Nationals on July 22, he hit two home runs during the same stretch. In a 6–5 victory over the Florida Marlins on August 20, he had a game-ending sacrifice fly.

On September 26, Molina received the Willie Mac Award for the second year in a row. During a game against the Dodgers that night, he became the first player in baseball to run a home run but not receive a run credit for a run scored. In the sixth inning, he launched a ball off the right field wall at AT&T Park. The ball was in fair play, according to the umpire, and Molina wound up at first base. As Giants manager Bruce Bochy addressed the issue with the umpires, Emmanuel Burriss ran out to first base to pinch run for him. The umpires determined the hit a home run after an instant replay, but Bochy was denied the opportunity to reinsert Molina into the game, so Burriss was credited with the run. San Francisco continued the game under protest, but they won 6–5 in the 10th inning, but not in the 10th inning. Molina batted.292 with 16 home runs and a career-high 95 RBI in a career-high 145 games and 530 at bats. With 11 sacrifice flies, he dominated the major leagues. He had a.995 field percentage and threw out 35% of attempted base stealers, which was offensively.

In a 7–1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on April 9, 2009, Molina had four RBI. In a victory over the Padres on April 22, he hit his pinch-hitting double in the game's only run of the season. In an 8-3 victory over the Rockies, he was 0 for 12 against Jason Marquis and had four RBI against him. Molina's eighth inning against the Diamondbacks on August 27, he had two strikes on him and two outs in the eighth innings, allowing the Giants to win 4–3. In a 3–2 victory over the Brewers on September 4, Todd Coffey snapped a tie and gave the winning margin. In an 8–4 victory over the Diamondbacks on September 29, he hit two home runs and four RBI in an 8-4 victory. He batted.265 with 130 hits, a career-high 20 home runs, and 80 RBI in 132 games (491 at bats). He had a.995 fielding percentage and threw out 23% of attempted base stealers. He led the majors with 11 sacrifice flies, but he only walked in 4.55 percent of his plate appearances, the lowest percentage in the majors.

"One of the best offensive catchers in Giants history" after the 2009 season, sportswriter Daniel Brown called Molina "one of the greatest offensive catchers in Giants history." Brown cited Molina's.278 average over his three seasons with the Giants, the highest among San Francisco catchers with fewer than 350 games. Molina's 256 RBI were the most among Giants catchers in a three-year span.

Molina, a free agent from the 2009 season, was not expected to return to the Giants as he wanted a multi-year deal, and the Giants hoped that Buster Posey would take over the role. The Mets were again shown to be interested in him, but the contract was not able to be concluded. Molina re-signed his one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Giants on January 19, 2010. In a 6–1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 12, he had four hits and four RBI on April 12. In April, he batted.344 runs in April, but in the season's next two months, he only reached.212. Following the Giants' losing streak and Posey's emergence as the team's first base since a call-up towards the end of May, the Giants traded Molina to the Rangers on June 30 for relief pitcher Chris Ray and a player to be named later, eventually deciding as minor league pitcher Michael Main. Molina batted.257 with three home runs and seventeen RBI in 61 games (202 at bats) for the Giants.

Matt Treanor was the starting catcher for the Rangers, but he and Treanor split playing time began in late August. In an 8–4 victory over Boston over July 16, Molina hit for the cycle for the sixth time. He had (in order) a single, a double, a grand slam home run, and a triple, leaving the game with a minor leg injury after the triple. Michael Young, a teammate, was shocked that Molina pulled the ball out of the outfielders for the slow-running Molina, who said that the stadium's small dimensions would not allow the ball to get far enough away from the outfielders for the slow-running Molina to make it to third base for the required triple. He batted.240 with 42 hits, two home runs, and 19 RBI in 57 games (175 at bats) for the Rangers. His combined numbers between the two ballclubs were 118 games (377 at bats), five home runs, and 36 RBI. He had a.993 fielding percentage and dismissed 23% of attempted base stealers out of his field.

The Rangers became the AL West champions in the playoffs. In a 5–1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Molina had three hits, a home run, and two RBI. In Game 5, the Rangers defeated Tampa Bay 5–1, eliminating the Rays for the first time since 2006. The Rangers defeated the Yankees 3–2 in Game 4 of the ALCS, with two out in the sixth inning and the Rangers trailing the Yankees 3–2, while the Rangers advanced to victory 10–3. For the first time in franchise history, the Rangers won the ALCS in six games, earning the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Molina became the sixth player to play for both World Series franchises in the same season, guaranteeing him a World Series ring regardless of who wins. When the Rangers lost the series in five games, he batted.182 with one RBI. Molina became a free agent after the season was over. Molina, the unsigned in 2011, announced his resignation on February 27, 2012.

Coaching and broadcasting career

Molina was hired as the St. Louis Cardinals' assistant hitting coach on December 14, 2012, helping out John Mabry in 2013. For the 2014 season, he served as the Rangers' first base coach and catching instructor. When Jeff Banister took over the Rangers' new manager, he was replaced by Héctor Ortiz for the 2015 season. In 2016, he and Polo Ascencio became the Cardinals' first Spanish-language broadcasters. Molina performs as the color analyst, while Ascencio controls the scenes.

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