Reds’ catchers are more deserving All-Star replacements than Yadier Molina

Once again, favoritism rears its ugly head, and rather than recognizing a deserving player like Omar Narvaez or Will Smith, MLB decides to bow down at the alter of the St. Louis Cardinals. Not only does Yadier Molina have no business replacing the injured Buster Posey in the All-Star Game, but the Cincinnati Reds have two catchers who are more deserving.

Both Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson are more deserving than Yadier Molina of a spot on the 2021 NL All-Star roster. Both Barnhart and Stephenson have a better batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage than the St. Louis Cardinals backstop.

The 2 Reds catchers are more deserving of an All-Star spot than Yadier Molina.

It’s preposterous that Yadier Molina replaced Buster Posey on the National League All-Star roster. I would even tell you that Tucker Barnhart and Tyler Stephenson are not as deserving as Milwaukee Brewers starter Omar Narvaez, or Will Smith of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Are you ready for Molina’s stats? The veteran catcher is hitting .258/.305/.417 in 67 games this season. Those are fine numbers for an aging catcher, and as much as I believe that Molina is undeserving of all the adulation he receives from the media, he’s been a solid catcher for many seasons. FYI, he’s NOT a Hall of Famer…but he’ll get voted in.

However, in 73 games for one of the best teams in the league, Will Smith is hitting .254/.354/.447 with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. Narvaez his slashing .301/.397/.471 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. I’m no math expert, but an .802 and .868 OPS respectively is better than .722.

One look at Barnhart’s numbers will tell you that the Reds’ catcher is having a better season than Molina as well. In 66 games, the Indiana native is hitting .273/.353/.419, giving Barnhart an OPS that’s 50 points higher than Molina.

Rookie catcher Tyler Stephenson is having an even better season. Though some of his play has come while filling in for Joey Votto at first base, Stephenson is hitting .270/.380/.426 with 13 doubles and 22 RBIs.

Barnhart and Molina are also dead-even with 2 defensive runs saved each. Of the aforementioned five catchers, Will Smith has the most DRS with 4, while Jacob Stallings leads the way with 10 DRS.

There’s no argument you can make that will make me believe that Yadier Molina is a more deserving replacement for Buster Posey than Will Smith or Omar Narvaez. Heck, give me the two Cincinnati Reds backstops before giving Molina that undeserving opportunity.