Bengie Molina
Benjamin José Molina, nicknamed "Big Money", is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers. He is the older brother of major league catchers José Molina and Yadier Molina.
Molina played a handful of games for the Anaheim Angels in 1998 and 1999. He became the Angels' regular catcher in 2000 and remained so through the 2005 season. In 2001, José became his teammate. In 2002, he became a World Series Champion when the Angels defeated the Giants in seven games. He won a Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003, leading American League catchers in percentage of attempted base stealers thrown out.
A free agent after the 2005 season, Molina sought a long-term contract but settled for a one-year deal with the Blue Jays, criticizing the Angels for not re-signing him. In 2007, he joined the Giants, replacing Mike Matheny. He won the team's Willie Mac Award in 2007 and 2008, set a career-high with 95 runs batted in in 2008, and hit a career-high 20 home runs in 2009. Replaced by Buster Posey during the 2010 season, Molina was traded to the Rangers, reaching the World Series where the Giants this time defeated his team. Though regarded as one of the slowest baserunners of his day, Molina drew praise from many of the pitchers he caught for his skills at defense and calling a game.
Following his playing career, Molina served as a coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and the Rangers in 2014. In 2016, he became the color commentator on the Spanish language radio broadcast for the Cardinals.
The Molinas are the only three brothers in MLB history to all win World Series rings. Bengie and José did it together as members of the 2002 Anaheim Angels, and Yadier with the 2006 and 2011 Cardinals. José later won a second ring with the 2009 New York Yankees. Bengie also received a ring for the Giants victory in 2010, since he played part of the season for the Giants before being traded to the Texas Rangers who lost the World Series against the Giants.
Early life
Benjamin José Molina, Jr., was born on July 20, 1974, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, to Gladys Matta and Benjamín Molina Sr., the oldest of three boys. He attended Maestro Ladislao Martínez High School in Vega Alta, graduating with honors. As baseball in Puerto Rico is a significant part of the island's culture, Molina's father played second base as an amateur and worked as a tools technician 10 hours per day in a Westinghouse factory. The all-time hits leader in Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente history, the elder Molina delivered a.320 career batting average and gained election to the Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002. Molina's two younger brothers, José and Yadier, also materialized into distinguished defensive catchers with lengthy careers in Major League Baseball, and each of the three won at least one World Series championship.Each day when he completed work, Molina's father went directly home, ate dinner with his family, and crossed the street from his family's home with his sons and his son's friend Carlos Diaz to Jesús Mambe Kuilan Park, exhausting countless evening hours teaching them the fundamentals of the sport. Bengie Sr. remained hopeful that his sons would become professional baseball players. Bengie Jr. was not actually a catcher growing up; his primary positions were outfielder and pitcher.
College career
After graduating high school, Molina came to the mainland United States. He enrolled at Arizona Western College in Yuma in 1991, joining the school's baseball team that year. Needing a shortstop, the AWC Matadors moved Molina to the position. "He was really skinny," remembered Matadors coach John Stratton. "He's just turned 18. And he was not a slow baserunner. He wasn't a burner, but he was very athletic and a decent runner." Molina was named an All-Conference shortstop. He also pitched some for the Matadors, featuring a fastball and a slider, though the fastball only travelled. Molina credited Stratton for improving his understanding of what to do in different situations during games. After Molina played two years for the Matadors, Stratton attempted to help him earn a scholarship to the University of North Alabama, but a technicality prevented Molina from attending, and he returned to Puerto Rico.Professional career
Minor leagues
On May 21, 1993, scout Ray Poitevint of the Anaheim Angels was in Vega Alta to evaluate José. The boys' mother convinced Poitevint to examine Bengie too, and a workout was arranged. Bengie impressed Poitevint with his ability to hit line drives, but his slow baserunning threatened to be an obstacle to an MLB career. "Here's a catcher's mitt. Why don't you throw down to second base, and we'll see what it looks like?" Poitevint asked. Two days later, the Angels had signed Bengie to a $1,000 contract as a catcher for their organization. Molina said several elements of the shortstop position translated well to catching, such as the needs to throw accurately, block the baseball, and move the hands quickly.Molina's professional career began in 1993, when he played 27 games for the Rookie-level Arizona League Angels. After serving as a designated hitter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in 1994, he made it all the way to the Class AAA level in 1995, though he spent most of the season with Class A teams and missed time with a broken wrist. After playing in a career-high 108 games as the Class AA Midland Angels' catcher in 1996, Molina played winter baseball as the third-string catcher for the Indios de Mayagüez in the Puerto Rican winter league. The team's backup catcher taught him so much about how to play the position, Molina later said "That winter with Sal Fasano was like graduate school."
Despite the education he received, Molina was sent down to the Class A advanced Lake Elsinore Storm to begin the 1997 season. "Too many catchers, not enough spots," he said. Nevertheless, following an injury to one of the Midland catchers, Molina was promoted back to Class AA. A hamstring injury limited his playing time. He began the 1998 season with the Class AAA Vancouver Canadians for the first time since 1995, but he was demoted to Midland midseason. Shocked at getting sent down, Molina might have quit baseball, had his father and veteran minor league teammate Jovino Carvajal not implored him to keep playing.
Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005)
The decision to continue playing brought dividends for Molina later that year. He was not initially a September callup, but when Charlie O'Brien broke his right index finger on September 15, Molina was promoted to the Angels. At this time, the Los Angeles Times referred to him as "Ben" Molina. He made his MLB debut on September 21, playing the final inning of a 9–1 loss to the Texas Rangers. Molina also played one other game for the Angels before the end of the season.Despite receiving the late-season callup in 1998, Molina had "virtually no chance of making the Angels" out of spring training in 1999, according to the Los Angeles Times. He spent most of the season with the Angels' Class AAA club, now the Edmonton Trappers, batting.286 with 69 hits, seven home runs, and 41 runs batted in. On August 3, he replaced O'Brien for good, promoted to replace the veteran who was designated for assignment. This time, he started many of the Angels' games. He had four RBI in his first two, then had four RBI on August 19, including his first career home run, which came against Jim Parque in a 9–2 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Molina's season ended on September 16, when he suffered a strained left hamstring while running the bases. In 31 games, he batted.257 with 26 hits, one home run, and 10 RBI.
2000–2001
In 2000, Molina spent spring training competing for the position of starting catcher with Todd Greene, a power hitter who had been viewed as the Angels' catcher of the future a few years before but was struggling offensively, and Matt Walbeck. Greene was released before the start of the season, and Molina won the job. On May 12, he hit two home runs in a game for what would be the only time in his career, scoring four runs and recording four hits as well, though the effort came in a 13–11 loss to the Texas Rangers. The game was the beginning of a 14-game hitting streak lasting through June 2, in which Molina batted.517. Angel manager Mike Scioscia said, "Bengie has absolutely stepped up and done the things we thought he could do. The only question was his durability and stamina, but he definitely has the ability to lead a pitching staff to a championship." In 130 games, Molina batted.281 with 133 hits, 14 home runs, and 71 RBI. His 70 RBI while playing catcher were the most at the position in Angels history. Defensively, he posted a.991 fielding percentage and threw out 37% of attempted base stealers. Molina finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year Award voting, behind Kazuhiro Sasaki, Terrence Long, and Mark Quinn.Prior to the 2001 season, the Angels signed Molina to a four-year contract worth $4.25 million, keeping him under contract through 2004, with a $3 million club option or $100,000 buyout for the 2005 season. Molina remained their starting catcher in 2001. However, he was on the disabled list from May 5 through June 26, having strained his right hamstring. During this time, his brother José replaced him on the Angels' roster, having joined the organization as a free agent over the offseason. "This was our dream as kids – to play baseball in the majors. We never thought we'd be together on the same team," Bengie said. The brothers would remain teammates at the catcher position through the 2005 season, the first siblings to catch for the same MLB team since Amos and Lave Cross caught for the Louisville Colonels in 1887. On August 22 and 23, Bengie had back-to-back four-hit games. In 96 games, he batted.262 with 85 hits, six home runs, and 40 RBI. Defensively, he had a.991 fielding percentage and threw out 32% of attempted base stealers.