Minnesota Twins scout Edwin Rodríguez followed and scrutinized Molina starting in high school. He observed that Molina's skills closely resembled that of both his older brothers – both accomplished major league catchers – and decided that his defense was "polished" enough to be considered more advanced than most high schoolers in the United States. However, Molina's hitting lagged behind his defense. The initial report on his skill set was "defensive catcher, great arm, weak bat"; his closest comparable hitter as catcher was one who the Cardinals eventually placed at the top of their organizational ladder, and his future manager, Mike Matheny.