JUPITER, FLA. (AP) -- The St. Louis Cardinals know they're fortunate to have one of the best catchers in the league in Yadier Molina.
The past two seasons Molina has had consecutive Gold Gloves and a batting average that has hovered around .300.
What sets Molina apart are his defense and his arm. He has thrown out at least 40 percent of potential base stealers in four of his five full seasons in the majors and many runners just don't bother to test his strong arm.
Just 32 base runners successfully stole against Molina last season in 54 attempts. Of the five catchers who played at least 130 games (Molina was second with 138), the next closest was Detroit's Gerald Laird, who allowed 59 steals.
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