Bengie Molina

Did You Know?

• Molina was hired as the St. Louis Cardinals' assistant hitting coach on December 14, 2012, helping John Mabry in 2013.
• He joined the Rangers' coaching staff for the 2014 season as first base coach and catching instructor.
• Molina and Polo Ascencio became the Cardinals' first Spanish-language broadcasters in 2016, with Molina as color analyst.

Early life

Benjamin José Molina Jr., the oldest of three boys, was born on July 20, 1974, in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, to Gladys Matta and Benjamín Molina Sr. He graduated with honors from Maestro Ladislao Martínez High School in Vega Alta. His father, an amateur second baseman who worked ten-hour days as a tools technician at a Westinghouse factory, holds the all-time hits record in the Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente with a .320 average and was inducted into the Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. After work, he would eat dinner with the family, then take Bengie Jr., his brothers, and a friend across the street to Jesús Mambe Kuilan Park to teach baseball fundamentals. Growing up, Bengie Jr. played outfield and pitcher, not catcher.

College career

After graduating high school, Molina enrolled at Arizona Western College (AWC) in Yuma in 1991, joining the school's baseball team. Needing a shortstop, the AWC Matadors moved Molina to the position. Coach John Stratton recalled that Molina was skinny, athletic, and a decent runner. Molina was named an All-Conference shortstop and also pitched some, with a fastball of 85 to 87 mph. He credited Stratton for improving his understanding of game situations. After two years, Stratton tried to help Molina earn a scholarship to the University of North Alabama, but a technicality prevented his attendance, and he returned to Puerto Rico.

Professional career

On May 21, 1993, scout Ray Poitevint of the Anaheim Angels was in Vega Alta to evaluate José Molina, but the boys' mother convinced him to examine Bengie too. Bengie impressed Poitevint with his line-drive hitting, but his slow baserunning was a concern. Poitevint asked him to try catching, and two days later the Angels signed Molina to a $1,000 contract as a catcher. His professional career began in 1993 with the Rookie-level Arizona League Angels. After serving as a designated hitter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 1994, he reached Class AAA in 1995 but spent most of the season with Class A teams and missed time with a broken wrist. In 1996 he played a career-high 108 games as the Class AA Midland Angels' catcher, then played winter ball for the Indios de Mayagüez, where backup catcher Sal Fasano taught him extensively. Molina was sent down to Class A advanced Lake Elsinore to begin 1997, but after an injury to a Midland catcher he was promoted back to Class AA, though a hamstring injury limited his playing time. He began 1998 with Class AAA Vancouver but was demoted to Midland midseason; his father and teammate Jovino Carvajal urged him to keep playing. Later that year, when Charlie O'Brien broke his right index finger on September 15, Molina was promoted to the Angels. He made his MLB debut on September 21, playing the final inning of a 9–1 loss to the Texas Rangers, and played one other game that season.

Legacy

Pitchers held Molina in high regard. Angels starter Jarrod Washburn noted Molina's pride in studying hitters and having a solid game plan, with little shaking off of signs. Angels closer Troy Percival said that in the American League no catcher stood above Molina, praising his ability to catch, throw, block pitches, and get a big hit. Tim Lincecum, who won the NL Cy Young Award with Molina catching him in 2008 and 2009, stated that Molina deserved half of those awards. Giants starter Matt Cain credited Molina for calling games and giving him confidence to throw different pitches in different counts. Molina was also known for his lack of speed: a 2006 Sports Illustrated poll of 415 players had 56 percent picking him as baseball's slowest runner, and Baseball America named him the second-slowest baserunner behind Frank Thomas. His three career stolen bases are the second-fewest of any player with at least 5,000 plate appearances, behind only Cecil Fielder's two. A statue of Molina jumping into Neftali Feliz's arms after the final out of the 2010 American League Championship Series was unveiled on August 7, 2018, at the North Plaza of the Texas Live! entertainment district.