Brian Dowdy has been a Cardinal fan all of his life. Born and raised in Dexter, Brian attended his first game in 1982 and was hooked. He has seen the Cardinals play too many times to count and watched the Cardinals play in Miami, Chicago, Houston, Cleveland and Kansas City and the list is growing.

Molina: To rest or not to rest?

Posted Tuesday, May 21, 2013, at 1:42 PM

Yadier Molina made his MLB debut on June 3, 2004 and has played the most games at his position since then. So that leads to the question of how much is too much for our best player?

Without a doubt Yadi is our most important player at every aspect of the game. Obviously he anchors the pitching staff with his game calling, defense and the confidence he gives the pitchers. He also shuts down the running game with his cannon of an arm; whether it is picking runners off the bases or nailing them trying to steal.

The other side of the talented backstop is his increasing presence as a hitter. Yadi's offense is getting better with age as he has hit above .300 the last two years and off to another strong start this year. His power is also increasing as he has hit double digit home runs the last two years for the first time in his career.

One other point I would like to bring up is his speed on the bases or lack of speed I should say. He lacks the speed of other players but yet is a smart base runner so he steals when he thinks he can make it. He is successful probably because the pitcher doesn't consider him a threat and pays no attention to him. But just because he has good base running instincts doesn't mean they should not pinch run for him more. Especially late in the game when we need a run to win it or even tie the game. I mean how many double plays will it take for the Cards to hit into before they take a chance on a faster runner and try a hit and run?

I think that the Cards need to start resting our best player more often. It is a grueling position on the body especially the knees. If he feels fine but doesn't want to take a day off too bad; that is where the manager has to step up and take care of the players. It is one thing to be a friend but he is still in charge and if the players get mad they will get over it. I would much rather have a strong and rested Yadi later in the year for a possible playoff run.

What do you think? Do they need to give him time off or just roll the dice and go on letting Tony Cruz (who is the backup if you didn't know) have the best job in the majors?