Athletes - Bengie Molina

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	Athletes - Bengie Molina

Benjamin José ("Bengie" or "Ben") Molina (born July 20, 1974 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) is a Major League Baseball catcher, currently with the Toronto Blue Jays. After being initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher, Molina has developed into one of the better offensive catchers in baseball in addition to retaining his solid defense. However, at 5' 11" and weighing 225 pounds, Molina is regarded as one of the slowest baserunners in the game.

He first played two games for the Anaheim Angels in 1998, and after a handful of games in 1999, he became the Angels' regular catcher in 2000 and remained so through the 2005 season. Over his last few seasons with the Angels, his backup at catcher there was his brother José Molina. Their younger brother Yadier Molina is also a catcher, and plays for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bengie Molina's contract with the Angels expired after the 2005 season, and the team decided not pursue his return because of the salary he would demand. He signed a 1-year $5 million contract with the Blue Jays, with a mutual option for a second year. It is expected that he will be catching the majority of the Jays' 2006 season with Gregg Zaun serving as his backup.

After signing with the Blue Jays, Molina expressed his anger at the Angels over how he parted company with them. "The way they let me go without a notice, without calling me, that said a lot," Molina said. "That's what really hurts me. I think I built a good relationship with them," he said. "They never let me know. They just threw me like a piece of trash." Molina's agent, Alan Nero, later confirmed however, that both he and Molina had in fact received calls from the Angels informing them of the team's decisions. Nero suggested that Molina's comments to the contrary were borne from his disappointment and frustration over not being retained by the Angels, as he had hoped to be.

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