JUPITER, Fla. — The look, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt has learned, comes from his catcher around this time every spring.
Peering out from behind his catcher’s mask toward the dugout as the moment nears in which starters in Grapefruit League games prepare to hit the showers, future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina signals he wants to stay put.
Sometimes Molina wants to begin to ease his body into the nine-inning grind that awaits him when games count. Sometimes he wants a few more at-bats to lock in his swing. Sometimes there is an intriguing young pitcher on the day’s schedule that he’s eager to test drive through their stuff.