OT - Albert Pujols was released by the Angels
Maybe the Tigers can sign him to a five year deal.
Oh my god that might be the hardest I’ve laughed all day.
Al Avila is still trying to trade Torkelson and Greene for him.
Cool. You’re next Miguel.
I'd love to agree with this. Clearly Miggy is a shell.of his former self. He used to be mist-watch TV, but now it's just cringe-worthy.
The difference with Miggy is that there is absolutely NOBODY pushing for his playing time. Walsh and Otani demand to be played in LA, leaving nowhere to put Pujols. Most of the Tigers (including Miggy) are batting below the Mendoza Line.
That, and that pesky little issue of the $94 million the Tigers still owe him.
Better to pay off what is owed Miggy than have him earn his $$ for batting .098. Never thought Miggy would fall this far. He's ruining his legacy and fast.
When he was with the Cardinals he put up numbers that would scramble your brain. There was the season he hit 49 home runs and struck out 52 times. Then, there was a two- or three-year stretch when he had a higher career slugging percentage than Barry Bonds, and a higher career batting average than Ichiro. I could go on and on ...
And he was humble while doing it all!
Humble. But yoked on juice.
I remember when he showed up in STL and Cards were loaded! Tigers had Bobby Higginson. and Brandon Inge. Those were the great days of early 2000s.
I say this as a Cubs fan but I never understood how someone so clearly on steroids just always got a pass on that from the fans, the league and the press.
He got a pass because for the most part, he was a really good dude, worked hard, and was a feel good story. He was a late round draft pick that busted his butt to get where he got (ignoring the PEDS), and fans in STL refuse to see the flaws in their players (look at how McGwire was treated like royalty)...
Fans of just about any team in any city usually fail to see the flaws in their biggest sports stars
Very true, I’m probably biased growing up in STL territory and hating the Cards that makes me feel like they’re more delusional than most...At any rate, Pujols was a good dude and good player, but also 100% on PEDS (like a lot of players)...
Best ?? fans ?? in ?? baseball ??
Um...Sure?
Absolute fact. Ray Lewis killed a guy and has a statue outside the Ravens stadium FFS.
The man is 41 years old
He's 45 if he's a day.
Doubt it. He probably is somewhere around 44 years old.
Despite his slide into mediocrity during his 10 years with the Angels, his numbers are historical: 667 HRs, 3200+ hits, and something like 2100 RBIs. Pretty rarified company.
Protip: he cheated just as much as Bonds.
Arod might be the better comparison. Bonds only began juicing after the McGuire/Sosa HR chase season when he was jealous at the attention that Mark and Sammy were receiving. Pujols, and Arod were likely juicing from the beginning of their careers.
Bonds would have been a first ballot hall of famer without the juice. Lots of people forget the yoked up dude that hit 70 HR's in a season used to steal 40 bases on the regular and was a top notch fielder.
And Bonds hit for power before the juice--he could pop 30-40 but couldn't get to 60 and the acclaim the Mark and Sammy Save Baseball show brought to them. Bonds needed the juice for that.
And yeah, I have no doubt Pujols is a career-long juicer. Just the sheer size of the guy...
Hope he signs a 1 year deal with the Cards so he can retire in that jersey. He’s an all-timer and he’s obviously still beloved in St. Louis.
He’ll have a statue in front of Busch sometime soon.
Nope. He could have. We wanted him to. We offered enough money. This town would have given him Stan status. He made a business decision, which is fine, but that won't get him a statue here. Yadi will get one. Heck, Waino possibly. But Albert passed on his chance to be in the lead convertible on opening day.
Having said that, he and his wife are really good folks and you can't be mad at the choices they made. Sad but not mad. Hell of a guy.
Plus, had he stayed here he would have gotten the dignity of not being released.
Yep --- as you said, a "business decision."
Also, going to the Angels. St Louis is a baseball-first town, the Cardinals are a historic franchise. He left that to go play in the middle of Orange County for an uninteresting team most folk forget even exists. He got the $$$, which was fine, but it is a slight tarnish on his long-term legacy.
Respectfully disagree with much of this. Yes, he left for more money, but in all honesty it was in the Cards’ best interest to let him walk.
Any amount that would have been fair to Pujols would have been a huge drag on the team’s success, and he was on the down slope of his career. The Cardinals have never been that kind of franchise.
I still think AP gets a statue, as does Molina. Both clear HOFers who won 2 rings.
One must search high and low to find a more overrated player than Yadier Molina.
I guess he’ll be an overrated Hall of Famer then. Not a bad way to go out IMO.
You're kidding, right? Do you even know anything about baseball?
I'm a Cubs fan too, you must not watch baseball to say he's overrated. He's one of the best ever at that position, Hating on a guy because he's on a rivals team is just stupid
Totally agree it was in the Cards best interest.
How anyone considers Molina a HOF'er is beyond me...
PLAYER A: 7,713 PA, 56.7 fWAR, 149 wRC+
PLAYER B: 8,271, 56.7, 113
PLAYER C: 7,814, 55.9, 144
PLAYER D: 7,882, 55.4, 100
PLAYER E: 7,836, 54.8, 136
In some order, this is Lance Berkman, Brian Giles, Yadier Molina, Robin Ventura, and Joey Votto.
All Hall of Very Good-caliber players. Not Hall of Famers.
Why are you comparing him to players that don't catch? He's in the 10 ten all-time for catcher's WAR, if I'm not mistaken. That would certainly make him a HOF'er.
Most Gold Gloves by a catcher, behind Pudge and Johnny Bench. Better BA than Bench. Same number of Pennants and World Series as Bench. And still playing so not done.
And he won't be a HOFer because he is overrated?
Stop. Molina is a hall-of-famer. He may be the best defensive catcher of all time. A proper comparison is Ozzie Smith--incredible fielder who also helps the team with the stick in his hands.
Honestly I'm shocked he was still in the majors...
I closely followed Pujols when he came up as a Rookie with the Cardinals. Man, what a player during those years. A complete baseball playing machine both as a batter and as a first baseman. The most incredible thing about him was he rarely struck out. That's something not many realize. But, as he continued to get injured - wrist and foot -- his game suffered. It's disappointing to see his career go out like this, especially with everything else going around us. The man is also a class act and an unselfish ball player. Is Michigan looking for a new hitting coach? If so, hire Albert!
Pujol's first 10 years in the league are amazing. Ted Williams and Joe DiMagio are the only other in the same category. Others may have had a 10 year stretch through their career, but only these three entered the league from day 1 and started tearing it up. Keep in mind, both Williams and DiMagio missed three years for military service during their first ten years in the league. Here are the numbers:
Pujols:
10 year averages
HR: 40.8, RBI: 123, AB: 573.3, Hits: 190, AVG: .331
HR: Low = 32, High = 49
RBI: Low = 103, High = 137
AVG: Low = .312, High = .359
Pujols never had a year below .312, 32, 103.
Williams:
10 year averages
HR: 32.3, RBI: 126.1, AB: 508.6, Hits: 176.3, AVG: .347
HR: Low = 23, High = 43
RBI: Low = 97, High = 159
AVG: Low = .317, High = .406
Williams never had a year below .317, 23, 97.
DiMagio:
10 year averages
HR: 30.3, RBI: 127.7, AB: 560.9, Hits: 185.3, AVG: .330
HR: Low = 20, High = 46
RBI: Low = 95, High = 167
AVG: Low = .290, High = .381
DiMagio never had a year below .290, 20, 95.
I have always marveled at Pujols combination of "worst statistical seasons" over his first ten years in the league. .312, 32, 103.