Initially regarded as a "good glove, no hit" catcher with a strong arm and an exceptional ball blocker, Molina won a Gold Glove as the top defensive player at his position in consecutive seasons in and . But he also developed into a very good contact hitter and free-swinging power hitter. Between 2000 and 2007, he struck out just 331 times, and in 2000 led the American League in average at-bats between strikeouts, with 14.3. He is the only player in history to hit a home run and not get credit for the run. He was regarded as one of the slowest baserunners of his day.