If Albert Pujols were a Yankee or Red Sox, he would undeniably be the first name that pops out of anyone’s mouth when discussing who is the best player in baseball. But he plays in a much smaller media market, so he doesnt get the coverage like ARod or Jeter. However, he has been the most reliably consistent and dominant player in history over the first half of his career (assuming he is about halfway through), and nobody has ever even joked that he is using or has used steroids. The guy is a class act. There are plenty of articles like this 2009 Bleacher Report.
Albert Pujols is, undeniably, the best player in the major leagues.
He plays in a great baseball market (St. Louis), but not in one of the leagues largest. He plays on a team that is always competitive (no less than 78 wins in any of his eight years), but is sometimes forgotten in the New York-Boston-Chicago hoopla.
However, he is gaining recognition now as the best player in baseball. Over his eight years, he has averaged 191 hits, 40 HR, 43 2Bs, 122 RBI, 118 runs, with a .335 BA on a team averaging 91 wins per year. He has won a gold glove, two silver sluggers, a rookie of the year, a world series and two MVP awards.
Pujols has finished worse than fourth in the MVP voting only once (ninth in 2007), and if you remove steroid-aided seasons of Barry Bonds, and Adrian Beltre (2004), he should have won five MVPs, including four in-a-row. Remember this is in eight MLB seasons.
If he continues at his current pace, he would end up as the greatest player in the history of baseball. What, you don’t believe me? Lets take a look at the numbers:
(Assuming a 19 year career, which would have him retire at 40 years old, continuing at his current pace)
Hits-3629-fourth all time
HR-760-second (to Bonds)
RBI-2318-first
Doubles-817-first
Runs- 2242-third
BA-.335-16th
OBP-.426-sixth
SLG-.625-fourth
OPS-1.051-fourth
This is assuming he plays only until he is 40 years old (Ted Williams played until 42, Hank Aaron until 42, Pete Rose until 45), and maintains his current pace. Remember, he is only 29 years old, so he should be just entering his prime.
That means that his numbers should get better, which is very scary for the rest of baseball. Of course, I am assuming that he will stay healthy, avoid a skills decline, and, of course, that he is not using, nor has ever used PEDs. I can never be sure with today’s baseball landscape, but I believe Pujols to be clean.
Would these numbers make Pujols the greatest of all time? I do not know, but it would have to put him in the conversation with Mays, Aaron, Ruth, and Ted Williams.
Also, if clean, he played the right way and dominated an era when so many players took PEDs and, thus, had an unfair advantage over Pujols. He is not loud, he is not difficult, he stays out of the news, but he puts up consistent numbers every year.
Because of this, when he is done playing, he could be recognized as not only the best clean player in the steroid era, and the best first baseman of all time, but also as the greatest of all time.
Come on now, Bill Buckner was the greatest first baseman of all time. Just look at that ‘stash.
“Remember, he is only 29 years old, so he should be just entering his prime.”
Wow, he is actually YOUNGER than he says he is? That’s the first time I’ve seen that! He claims to be 31. But yeah, a tremendous player.
Just imagine if Ichiro could have been in the MLB from the begining of his career.
Freegards
He is excellent, no doubt but I disagree his best years are ahead of him. Pitchers mature about this time in their career but the other positions have hit their peek about here and drop off from here on.
I wonder why he didn’t become a free agent and get the rally big bucks?
During the NLCS, the TBS crew ran a graphic comparing Pujols and Prince Fielder and concluded that Fielder was the better prize during this off-season. Seriously.