Last Saturday night, Los Angeles Angels first basemen, Albert Pujols, hit his 600th career home run in style, a no doubt Grand Slam. Pujols is no stranger to Grand Slams, as this one, off Twins ace Ervin Santana, was his 14th of his career. Behind in the count 1-2, Pujols became the ninth member of the 600 club, and fourth youngest of those nine. Now, a week later, it is weird that Pujols did not nearly receive the amount of love from the media like he should have. All in all, it is time to acknowledge one thing, Albert Pujols is one of the best MLB players of all time.
THE FACTS
Let’s just start out with the facts. After being drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB June Amateur Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols quickly found success and never looked back. In 2001, as a 21-year-old kid, Albert won the NL Rookie of the Year award. His ridiculous .329/37/130 stat line put him in the conversation for MVP. From 2001-2010, Albert Pujols had one of the greatest ten year stretches in the history of the sport. In each of the first ten years of his career, Pujols was able to maintain above a .300 average, hit 30 or more homers, and drive in over 100 RBI.
The only other player to put up those numbers for more than 10 seasons was Babe Ruth, who played in a time where one pitcher threw the whole game and there were only 8 teams in the league, but that is a story for a different day. Only three players in the history of the game maintained a career .300 average or better, hit 600 + home runs, and drove in over 1850 runs: Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and assuming he keeps his .308 career average up, Jose Alberto Pujols will become the fourth.
The three time MVP is also an extremely clutch player. In 77 career playoff games, “The Machine” has posted a batting average of .323, launched 19 home runs (4th all time), and driven in 54 runs (6th all time), including an unforgettable three home run game in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series. Because of his elite play, Albert helped his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, win two World Series Championships (2006, 2011). On top of the clutch factor, Pujols is also a two-time Gold Glove award winner.
The GOAT at 1B?
I could even go as far to say that Albert Pujols is the best first basemen this league has ever seen. The only other players in contention would be Lou Gehrig, who played in Ruth’s era, and Stan Musial, who some would consider primarily an outfielder. Gehrig, as great as he was, only finished in the top 3 MVP voting four times. Pujols, who played in the heart of the steroid era, has eight top 3 finishes. Musial, who is one of the greatest Cardinals to ever play, had six seasons in which he hit 30 or more home runs. “The Machine” has 14 and counting.
Off the Diamond
Off the field, Pujols has been nothing short of spectacular. Before meeting Albert, Deidre, now Mrs. Pujols, had given birth to a daughter named Isabella. At a young age, Isabella was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. In 2005, with the help of Deidre, Albert created the Pujols Family Foundation. While the main focus of the foundation is to raise money in implementing awareness and hope for those families affected by Down Syndrome, the Pujols family has also shifted their focus in assisting in the education, living, and medical fields for the less fortunate citizens of the Dominican Republic. Every year tons of families get their children dressed up and head off to the Pujols Family Foundation’s annual prom for Down Syndrome kids. Surprisingly, Albert is also a great dancer, and someone who will always show off his moves at the prom.
Where is the Love?
So why do we, as a society, not acknowledge Albert Pujols’ greatness? A class act on and off the field, who has consistently dominated arguably the most difficult professional sport. What is there not to love? Recently, ESPN came out with the “World Fame 100”, which is a list of the world’s 100 most famous athletes. The order was based off endorsements with social media following and amount of searches on the internet. Shockingly, not one professional baseball player made the list. Why?
There is a list of reasons as to why baseball players are not as popular as they should be. The obvious one being the fact that the game is not intense enough, compared to other major sports. The game is too boring for kids, and can often be expensive for parents. It is not a sport where it is acceptable to show some flash, like you see with Odell Beckham Jr, or Stephen Curry. The season is so long that people often lose interest in April and will start watching again in October. Not only are there less viewers, but of the people who do watch, half of them are over the age of 50.
Whether you like baseball or not, one thing to realize is this, what Albert Pujols has done over his career is absolutely astonishing. A sure first ballot Hall of Famer, Pujols has defined what it means to be consistent, while acting like a true professional, on and off the diamond. When asked about chasing Barry Bonds’ home run record, Pujols said “I hope I get the opportunity. It would be so special.” (USA TODAY Sports) As a fan of the game, I would love to see him play for a couple more years and chase 762. No one would deserve it more than Albert Pujols.
Featured image by SI.com
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