Yadier Molina to Manage After Retirement
Yadier Molina has announced via Instagram live video that he will be manager for the Navegantes del Magallanes of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League for the 2023 season.
Magallanes is one of the most successful franchises in LVBP, having won its 13th championship this past season.
During a press conference. Molina said “I am finishing my career as a player. I have many friends in Venezuela, I know the level of their players and the competition in the league, they love baseball there. That motivated me, in addition to being manager of Magallanes, a historic team."
Yadier is finishing his MLB playing career at season’s end, where 2022 will be his 19th season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He will be adding on to his career numbers which currently include 2,146 games played, 2,112 hits, and career .280/.330/.402 slashline.
His career accolades include:
2× World Series champion (2006, 2011)
9× Gold Glove Award (2008–2015, 2018)
4x Platinum Glove Award (2011-2012, 2014-2015)
Silver Slugger Award (2013)
Roberto Clemente Award (2018)
6× Fielding Bible Award (2007–2010, 2012, 2013)
2× All-World Baseball Classic Team (2013, 2017)
Molina, who has always had aspirations to be a manager, led his native Puerto Rico U-23 team in the Pan-Am Baseball Championship in 2016, and finished his presser by saying "When the last out of the World Series falls, I retire and focus on my coaching career.”