Originally Posted by
Mr KLC
Yadier Molina on Friday afternoon elaborated on his social media post that expressed displeasure with manager Mike Matheny's recent description of the catcher's play, saying his Instagram post and his comments about it were his way of defending himself against an opinion he did not agree with.
The frustration that first surfaced on Molina's Instagram account stemmed from Matheny's quote in a Post-Dispatch story that detailed why rookie catcher Carson Kelly started Thursday night's game against the Diamondbacks. Matheny complimented Molina's recent production, but also touched on some signs of fatigue, and made it clear the Cardinals would have to find some spots for Kelly, the top catching prospect in baseball.
"Yadi’s caught a lot," said Matheny in the story. "Yesterday, just kind of watching him go around the bases, too, you could tell that he’s, you know..."
After implying that Molina was showing signs of fatigue, Matheny shifted the comment in a different direction.
"You know, he (Molina) is doing great," Matheny continued on Thursday. "He’s swinging the bat well, playing well defensively but I think we all know that when you bring a player like Carson in, we’re going to have to keep him engaged if he’s going to be able to contribute like he needs to. And this is a good opportunity for him to get in there with a pitcher (fellow rookie Luke Weaver) who they're both very comfortable with how they operate.”
Molina, who said Friday that he had not yet discussed the matter with Matheny, felt compelled to respond in a public fashion.
“I had to defend myself," Molina said. "People, when you see a manager quote that you look tired in the middle of the game running the bases, then people are going to think that you are when you're not. I had to defend myself.”
Molina wanted to make it clear he was not expressing frustration with the club finding playing time for Kelly.
"He is a great kid," Molina said of Kelly. "He's a great catcher. I'm going to be here to help him out in any way I can. Like I said, when you see in the paper that the manager (said) you look tired on the bases, when you are really not, that's not good."
Molina and Matheny often converse about if and when he should take a rare day off. Molina, who has caught more innings than any other catcher this season, said one of those conversations did not take place for Thursday's game. He described feeling angry and mad when he read the manager's comments in the Post-Dispatch story. He said he does not regret the Instagram post. He acknowledged his reaction will draw attention and create conversation, but said his goal was not to create a distraction.
"I don't want this to be a big thing, because I love Mike," Molina said. "I've always respected him. I'm going to try to do my best to win every time he puts me in the lineup. It's not going to take my game away from me. I want to make it clear that I'm not tired. I'm ready to go."
SBR Top-Rated Sportsbooks
"Thanks, Mike Matheny"
Big Bear gave TwoWays 2 Betpoint(s) for this post.
Nomination(s):This post was nominated 1 time . To view the nominated thread please click here. People who nominated: Big Bear
Reply With Quote
