Viva El Birdos Community Projections 2014: Yadier Molina

Ten years into his career, Yadier Molina has seemingly had three distinct periods of hitting. From his debut in 2004 to 2006, he was legitimately one of the worst hitters in the majors with an aggregate .238/.291/.342 line. No average, which led to a low OBP, and no power.

From 2007-2010, he matured and developed into roughly a league-average hitter, with an aggregate line of .284/.347/.371. He looked to have solved his BABIP issues from early in his career and turned into a good offensive catcher with a great defensive reputation. The only thing that was lacking was power, but with the rest of his profile, that seemed to be a luxury that we could live without.

From 2011-2013, Molina suddenly found the power that had been missing. His ISO, which sat at .093 from 2004-2010, jumped to .168, rounding out an offensive skillset that now included the ability to hit for contact, get on base, and hit for power. During these years, Molina hit for an aggregate .313/.361/.481 line, and his 133 wRC+ over that time period is good for 28th in the majors, flanked on the upper side by longtime wishlist-dweller Troy Tulowitzki and on the bottom side by one Albert Pujols.

What will Molina do in 2014? Will he see a slide from his offensive excellence of the last few years or will he be able to maintain his performance? Let us know how you forecast Molina to perform offensively in 2014.

Career Stats via Fangraphs: