Yadier Molina is considered one of the best defensive catchers in baseball history. He played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals, from 2004 to 2022, and was one of the most successful catchers in the National League.

Molina became the Cardinals' starting catcher in 2005, after debuting the year before. However, he really broke out in 2008, with his first season batting over .300. At this point, he was already a World Series Champion (2006). Molina went on a streak of seven consecutive All-Star appearances from 2009, all of which were Gold Glove-winning. Although he was never a great power hitter (he hit 176 home runs, with only two years of at least 20), he had five seasons batting over .300 and a lifetime batting average of .277. His overall play was respected enough that he finished fourth in MVP voting in 2012 (the year after he anchored the Cardinals to another World Series win), with an .874 OPS and 7.2 bWAR. He finished third in the same voting the year after, with an .836 OPS and 6.2 bWAR. Molina won the Silver Slugger that year, his only one.

Molina retired as the all-time leader among catchers in putouts (15,122) and second in Total Zone Runs (163), and is 14th among all players in Defensive bWAR (28.0), second only to Ivan Rodriguez among catchers. He won nine Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, and two Wilson Defensive Player Awards in his career.

While Molina's overall offensive statistics (2,168 hits, 176 home runs, 1,022 RBIs) might fall short for the Baseball Hall of Fame, his leadership, All-Star appearances, defense, and association with one team could put him over the top.

Tyler Clippard was a decent Relief Pitcher over 16 years, though like many bullpen specialists, he played for multiple organizations.

Clippard began (and ended) his career with the Washington Nationals, and in his first run in D.C., he was twice an All-Star (2011 & 2014) and had a 32-Save campaign in 2012.  That first run with the Nationals was his peak, but he would later play for Oakland, New York (NL), Arizona, New York (AL), Chicago (AL), Houston, Toronto, Cleveland, Minnesota, and a second stint with Arizona and Washington. 

Overall, Clippard appeared in 807 Games, had a record of 56 and 48 with 74 Saves.

Steve Cishek is best known for his five seasons in Baseball, which was spent with the Florida/Miami Marlins where he served as their closer in 2013 and 2014.  Cishek led the National League in Games Finished (62) but was inconsistent and traded to St. Louis in 2015. 

Cishek signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2016 and saved 25 Games for the team, but that was the last season he was used in that role. He was still solid later on in stints with Tampa (2017) and the Chicago Cubs (2018-19), but he petered out over the next three seasons, one each with Chicago (AL), Los Angeles (AL), and Washington, respectively.

Cishek is unlikely to make the Hall of Fame ballot, but he did leave baseball with 737 Makor League Games on the mound.

Stephen Strasburg had an intriguing career that set the precedent for managing pitcher's arms in the modern era. He was the First Overall Pick in 2009 and debuted for the Nationals the following year, in what was arguably the most highly anticipated pitching debut by an American player. However, he only appeared in 17 games in his first two years as he underwent Tommy John Surgery. Despite this, he was effective in his limited work and showed what he was capable of.

In 2012, the Nationals made it known that they would be monitoring Strasburg’s innings. He went on to be an All-Star that year, going 15-6 with 197 strikeouts. It could have been a lot more, but Washington shut him down on September 12, including the playoffs, where the Nats were eliminated in the Divisional Round. Strasburg had a decent 2013 (8-9, 191 SO, 3.00 ERA) and 2014, he was ninth in Cy Young voting and led the National League in strikeouts with 242.

Strasburg continued to show why he was worth the investment, and he was an All-Star again in 2016 and 2017, with the latter being the better season. He led the NL in FIP (2.72), had a career-low ERA (2.52), and was third in Cy Young voting. After another solid season, Strasburg went 18-6, fanned 251 batters, and was fifth in Cy Young balloting. Even better, Strasburg led the Nationals to their first World Series win, going 5-0 in the playoffs, including two wins in the Fall Classic, where he was named the World Series MVP. He signed what was then the largest contract for a pitcher (7 years/$245 million), but disaster was about to strike.

Strasburg succumbed to a nerve issue in his pitching hand that held him to only three batters in 2020. Diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, Strasburg managed only 21.2 innings in 2021. It was even worse for Strasburg, who had to be shut down after one game, and he never pitched again.

As promising as his talents were, Strasburg was a hell of a talent when he was healthy, but sometimes it is not meant to be.