is Yadier Molina a hall of famer?

[NewYorkExpress]

Yadier Molina, as any baseball fan and especially Cardinals fan would remind you, is retiring, and has played his final game.

With a career line of a .277 Batting Average, 176 home runs, 1,022 Runs Batted In, and World Series Rings in 2006 and 2011, as well as being one of the best defensive catchers in the game during his career, is Molina a hall of famer?

[dead0man]

yes, but I'm biased

[Orwell]

Yes, I'd say he's probably a lock for first-ballot too

https://youtu.be/fphDdSdqI28

[7,052,770]

Pretty iffy case. According to Baseball Reference:

Hall of Fame Statistics
Black Ink: 0
Gray Ink:  Batting - 20 (1291st), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor:   Batting - 169 (71st), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards:   Batting - 33 (270th), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS
  Catcher (22nd):
    42.3 career WAR | 28.7 7yr-peak WAR | 35.5 JAWS | 3.1 WAR/162
  Average HOF C (out of 16):
    53.7 career WAR | 34.7 7yr-peak WAR | 44.2 JAWS | 4.7 WAR/162

So one of the 4 metrics gets him in. He's actually lower in career WAR than Jorge Posada, who was eliminated from the ballot after getting just 3.8% in his first year.

However, he is 2nd all time in dWAR, so I think that warrants him some extra consideration, but I would still lean against voting for him. He wouldn't be the most egregiously undeserving case by a longshot if he got in though.

[Orwell]

Pretty iffy case. According to Baseball Reference:

Hall of Fame Statistics
Black Ink: 0
Gray Ink:  Batting - 20 (1291st), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor:   Batting - 169 (71st), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards:   Batting - 33 (270th), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS
  Catcher (22nd):
    42.3 career WAR | 28.7 7yr-peak WAR | 35.5 JAWS | 3.1 WAR/162
  Average HOF C (out of 16):
    53.7 career WAR | 34.7 7yr-peak WAR | 44.2 JAWS | 4.7 WAR/162

So one of the 4 metrics gets him in. He's actually lower in career WAR than Jorge Posada, who was eliminated from the ballot after getting just 3.8% in his first year.

However, he is 2nd all time in dWAR, so I think that warrants him some extra consideration, but I would still lean against voting for him. He wouldn't be the most egregiously undeserving case by a longshot if he got in though.

Baseball-Reference war metric doesn't account for pitch framing, when you include that as they do on Baseball Prospectus and Fangraphs it jumps him up to high 50s WAR. He's also one of 4 players to have 2000 hits while playing CATCHER

[JGibson]

Absolutely Yes.

On first ballot? Nope.

[Orwell]

Absolutely Yes.

On first ballot? Nope.

I think he gets in on the first ballot, assuming we don't get a few more big retirements this season, it's him and Albert that'll headline the 2028 freshman Hall of Fame class, and I'd say the next few years are pretty weak for incoming guys anyway. the top candidate for 2026 is Ryan Braun ffs, I could see Posey, Beltran, Utley, and maybe even CC Sabathia sharing the ballot with him though.

Pujols and Yadi going in on the same HOF class would be cool to see too

[RC]

Considering how few catchers are hall of famers, you have to set yourself apart to really get there. I think both Yadi and Buster Posey do that. In the case of Molina I see him as valuable in the sense Ozzie Smith was, an elite defender with a light bat. Considering most hall of fame catchers, unless your name is Mike Piazza or Ivan Rodriguez, he fits the bill, low WAR but still deserving of a plaque.