Yadi is happy.
This is not to say he wasn’t in previous seasons. This is simply to say that in this sport, in which we obsessively dissect a player’s abilities and statistics as explanations for performances, it’s applicable to point out that this year Yadier Molina also just seems really happy.
In spring training, in the clubhouse and in the batter’s box, Molina appears to be in a good place — and there’s something to be said for that. He is surrounded by people who bring him joy. This season, there are newcomers Marcell Ozuna (whose locker is to Yadi’s right) and Francisco Pena (whose locker is to Yadi’s left).