Reporting from Tempe, Ariz. — That was a quick transition. Three days after officially announcing his retirement as a player, former Angels catcher Bengie Molina was in camp as a guest instructor Tuesday, a three-day gig he hopes might turn into something more long-term.
"I'm just trying to help as many kids as I can, and maybe it will be the beginning of something," said Molina, who helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series. "Maybe in a couple of years I can come back and be a real coach."
Molina, a fine defensive catcher who had a .274 average with 144 home runs over 13 years, last played in 2010, a season he split between the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers.
A hairline fracture in his left elbow hindered him at the plate, and his poor offensive numbers--he hit .249 with five homers and 36 RBIs in 118 games--scared off most clubs.
"It was a very big disappointment last winter," Molina, 37, said. "My elbow bothered me all year--I couldn't swing hard--but that didn't matter. I was fine over the winter, but nobody came forward. The only offers I got were for minor league deals, so I just decided to go home."
