Yadi2first

by BVHeck on Nov 8, 2009 6:40 PM EST Comment 20 comments

In a recent post by chuckb, a certain (and my favorite) facet of Yadier Molina's game sparked some conversation and much love. Of course, I am talking about Yadi's infamous pick-off plays. So I decided to do a little digging on MLB.com to find the videos. I wasn't expecting to find all of them, but in the end was still rather disappointed in their collection. Anyway, I give you (*drumroll) the only 14 13 pickoffs of Yadi's that I can find. Enjoy.

6/28/05 vs. Cincinnati Reds - I would like to apologize for MLB.com. They really suck.

5/2/06 vs. Cincinnati Reds

5/8/06 vs. Colorado Rockies

5/27/06 vs. San Diego Padres - My favorite, rivaled only by the Theriot PO.

7/4/06 vs. Atlanta Braves - Not really a pick-off, but we'll call it a POVTE (Picked Off Vicariously Through Eckstein).

7/29/06 vs. Chicago Cubs - The real reason Zambrano punched him.

10/7/06 vs. San Diego Padres - We should have known "it was meant to be" as soon as he pulled this off with runners on 1st and 3rd.

According to MLB.com there was a black hole for Molina, in terms of pick-offs, from October '06 to July '08. I really hate MLB.com.

7/23/08 vs. Milwaukee Brewers

4/27/09 vs. Atlanta Braves

6/3/09 vs. Cincinnati Reds

7/11/09 vs. Chicago Cubs - undoubtedly, in my mind, the most impressive of them all.

7/17/09 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks - scoot along 40 seconds into the video to get to Yadi introducing a 4th true outcome to Mark Reynolds.

8/15/09 vs San Diego Padres - rediculous. With an "e".

10/1/09 vs. Cincinnati Reds

For all those interested, this is from Yadi's B-R page:

Yadi PO

'04 1

'05 9

'06 8

'07 2

'08 7

'09 8

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Comments

Thanks for this

Chuck, I guess this means that Baseball Reference doesn’t count pick offs as caught stealings.

Derosa.

by vivaelpujols on Jul 16, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

After the Pujols grand slams

the Yadi pick offs are probably my favorite play in baseball. There is nothing quite as satisfying as seeing the pure bewilderment in the eyes of the runner as they get picked off by a catcher.

by dcfcblues on Jul 16, 2009 11:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

The look on the baserunner’s face is always priceless!

by cardsgirl95 on Jul 17, 2009 9:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

heyyy.

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Jul 16, 2009 11:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

;)

R.P.O.F.Y.M.

by BVHeck on Jul 17, 2009 3:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Awesome.

Thank you for this. Lots o’ fun.

"The two most important things in life: good friends and a strong bullpen." - Gibson

by davethebutcher on Jul 17, 2009 12:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I ask forgiveness of my ignorance

But, i tried googling and I am honestly, too drunk to find an answer, so I recurr to you, baseball gurus. What is the record for career pickoffs for a catcher or pickoffs per season for a catcher. I know Yadi is número uno in pickoffs since ’04 so… who knows, he might have potential record numbers?

Yadi swings and hits a high fly ball... Endy Chavez goes back, to the track, to the wall... ITS A GUNNER!! Yadi gives St. Louis the lead in the top of the ninth!

*No. 1 supporter of The Walrus*

by Paulspike on Jul 17, 2009 4:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I tried

and failed. BR is opposed to having to compile advanced defensive stats for more than one player at a time…

R.P.O.F.Y.M.

by BVHeck on Jul 17, 2009 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Record

I don’t know where to look it up, or the actual number, but I’ve heard it talked about many times during games that Yadi has picked someone off. I know for fact that Pudge Rodriguez holds the record for pick-offs by a catcher and I’m about 90% sure its somewhere around 60. Considering Yadi already has over 30 PO’s and Pudge’s career is winding down, its safe to assume Yadi will eventually hold the record for pickoffs by a catcher.

by Cardsray on Jul 17, 2009 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

pudge has

somewhere in the 80s i believe. wanna say 86

Of course, hope means being cut down on some street corner, as you run like mad, by a random bullet.

by prophetjohn on Jul 17, 2009 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Goold has an in with the Bureau

Houston’s Ivan Rodriguez leads since 1987 with 81 pickoffs entering the 2008 season (looking for totals from last year), and Benito Santiago is second with 45 in his career, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

April 09 10@10

"But listen, and understand: more Molinas are out there. They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear." - THT

by Yadi2Second on Jul 17, 2009 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i just love

the look on the player’s face when they get picked off. His defense makes such a great difference not only for the guys he throws out, but for the guys that dont run because of his defense, he is becoming my second favorite card.

by KyleW on Jul 17, 2009 12:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I love fanposts like this

Sometimes an organized list of cool stuff is just awesome.
Also, I have been having a problem with all pre-2009 videos. Anybody else having trouble getting them to load? I am at a work computer, and it could also just be some random browser problem or whatever. No big deal either way.

Albert Pujols does not have "down" years. He has "~6 WAR" years.

by mattybobo on Jul 17, 2009 1:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

is weird on mine, too

first five seconds of old videos play, then go black; I have to let it load, then click play again, and it works.

the end of every half inning IS a turning point. -Evilfrog

by SleepyCA on Jul 19, 2009 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

recd

Cardinal fanatic since '82

by Cards Fan in Chitown on Jul 17, 2009 4:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Being on the fielding end of it is pretty cool too

Towards the end my playing days, I was SS/2B for a team that had an “old” catcher (30-yrs old) who was an MLB-caliber C on defense. He f-ing terrorized a summer league filled mainly with college kids. We’d run scripted plays for him to pick guys off first, off second, and off third, and they were shockingly effective even though the whole league walked on eggshells around the guy.

The best moment was when some guy doubled and I was shooting the breeze with him at 2nd as everyone regrouped and the P and C talked some things over. The C says “I hate being on base when Tony’s catching, he picked me off twice last year, and I felt like an idiot.” To which I joked “Don’t step off the bag, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Two plays later, he’s at 3rd and – you guessed it – he strays about 3 steps off, there’s a snap throw the 3rd, and we’re all walking back to the dugout.

Anyway, I don’t want to hijack the thread, but just point out that riding shotgun with a guy that plays defense like that is pretty cool in itself. I’d played SS all my life, and learned new things at age-27 just because of that guy.

The experience those two seasons is also why I like Yadi so much – gives me a much better perspective on what’s probably going on behind the scenes with him.

Great thread, thanks.

by siddfynch on Jul 17, 2009 6:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs