Benjamin José Molina (born July 20, 1974), nicknamed "Big Money", is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (1998–2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006), San Francisco Giants (2007–2010), and Texas Rangers (2010). 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. Molina received his World Series ring in 2002 after the Angels defeated the Giants in the 2002 World Series. He won a Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003, leading American League (AL) 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 (RBI) 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.
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 (or Doble-A Beísbol) 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 (MLB), 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 (AWC) 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.