ST. LOUIS -- He has set a gold standard behind the plate for more than a decade, but Yadier Molina won't grow the hardware collection that proves it this year.
After having a run of eight consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Awards upended by Buster Posey last fall, Molina fell short of reclaiming the honor on Tuesday. Instead, the award went to Cincinnati's Tucker Barnhart, who beat out Molina and Posey to become a first-time winner.
Molina's eight career Gold Gloves still ranks third all-time among catchers, behind Ivan Rodriguez (13) and Johnny Bench (10). In Cardinals history, only Bob Gibson (nine) and Ozzie Smith (11) have won more Gold Gloves.
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In another demonstration of his remarkable durability, Molina led all Major League catchers with 133 starts behind the plate. He logged 1,125 2/3 innings in total, marking the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Molina has eclipsed 1,100 innings in a season at catcher.
After posting a career-low 26-percent caught stealing rate in 2016, Molina bumped that percentage up to 36 percent this season. That ranked third-best in the NL among all catchers with at least 100 games played.
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Molina didn't rate so highly in Defensive Runs Saved, finishing at a plus-three. Barnhart, in comparison, led all NL catchers with a plus-21 DRS. He also caught 200 fewer innings than Molina.
Gold Glove winners are determined by a vote of managers and coaches, as well through a sabermetric component that the Society for American Baseball Research contributes. No other Cardinals players finished among the top three in votes at their respective positions on Tuesday.