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MLB

Two Former Chiefs Snag NL Gold Glove Awards

Molina claims third straight while Pujols grabs second award
By
November 10, 2010
PEORIA, IL- Former Peoria Chiefs players Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina won National League Rawlings Gold Glove Awards on Wednesday afternoon. For Molina it is his third consecutive Gold Glove as the top defensive catcher in the NL while Pujols also won a Gold Glove in 2006. Former Chiefs have now won 38 career Gold Gloves with Greg Maddux leading the way with 18.

Molina, 28, committed just five errors this season in 136 games behind the plate while throwing out nearly 50 percent of would be base stealers for the St. Louis Cardinals. Having also won Gold Gloves in 2008 and 2009, Molina becomes just the 13th catcher in MLB history to win three consecutive Gold Gloves. Only nine catchers have ever won more career Gold Gloves including Johnny Bench with a NL record 10 and Ivan Rodriguez with a MLB record 13. Current Twins catcher Joe Mauer, another Midwest League alum, has also won three consecutive Gold Gloves with his latest award on Tuesday.

Molina was drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2001 draft out of Puerto Rico and started the 2002 season in Peoria as the Chiefs everyday catcher. As a 19-year-old he hit .280 for the Midwest League Champion Chiefs with seven home runs and 50 RBI. He also set a Midwest League record for assists by a catcher with 140 assists in 112 games.

Pujols committed a career-low four errors this season in 159 games at first base for the Cardinals. He led the National League in total putouts (1458) and in assists (157) by a first baseman. The assists tally is the second highest of his career and eighth highest in MLB history after Pujols set a MLB record in 2009 with 185 assists. Pujols' .998 fielding percentage ranked second in baseball this season and he also ranked first in range factor by a first baseman.

Pujols, the only former Chiefs player to ever win a Most Valuable Player Award in the Majors, was drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, MO. On April 6, 2000 he went 2-for-4 in his professional and Chiefs debut with a home run, double and three RBI at Kane County. On April 19 of that season he hit his first home run at Pete Vonachen Stadium against South Bend. In 109 total games for the Chiefs he hit .324 with 17 home runs, 32 doubles, 84 RBI and 62 runs scored while drawing 38 walks and striking out just 37 times. He still holds the Chiefs single season and career records for slugging percentage at .565 and ranks in the top 10 on the single-season list for RBI, batting average and OPS. Pujols was named the Midwest League Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year despite leaving in August in a promotion to High-A Potomac.

Seven former Chiefs have won a combined total of 38 career Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Following Maddux and his MLB-record 18 are Devon White with seven, Mark Grace with four, Molina and Rafael Palmeiro with three, Pujols with two and Placido Polanco has one.