Alright, so the title may be a bit premature, but if you are a Los Angeles Angels fan, then you probably love what Albert Pujols has done so far this season.
Chances are if you have followed baseball at anytime since 2001, then you are aware of the greatness of Pujols. He arrived like a beast in 2001 hitting 37 homers and driving in 130 RBI’s all while batting a very healthy .329. Right through 2011 season, by season’s end, Pujols was among the best players in baseball.
The man has some serious hardware to show for it too. Pujols won the NL Rookie of the Year, the Hank Aaron Award twice (2003, 2009), a three time MVP (2005, 2008, 2009), nine All-Star appearances(2001, 2003-2010), six Silver Slugger Awards(2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), two Gold Gloves (2006, 2010) and most important, two World Championships with the St. Louis Cardinals, first in 2006 and again in 2011.
To date, he has amassed over 2,000 hits and just this past week hit his 500th career home run. The man has done it all and therefore got an epic contract with the Los Angeles Angels for 10 years and $240 million. With such lofty numbers, one would assume that Pujols was going to bring in several World Championships which the Angels hadn’t won since 2002.
That didn’t happen during 2012, Pujol’s first season with the Angels. In fact, Pujols struggled to find his swing making people wonder if the contract was already a bust. Albert Pujols regained his groove and finished with 30 homers, 105 RBI’s, and a .285 batting average; for nearly any other play in baseball, that would be considered a great year, but not compared to his numbers in the past decade. In 2013, Pujols struggles worsened, he got off to a slow start and then had some serious injuries which cost him significant time during the season. For all of 2013, he hit a very average .258 with 17 homers, and 64 RBI’s. Thus breaking his streak of 12 consecutive years of hitting 30 or more homers.
This season, the Angels have struggled for many reasons. Their pitching staff has a lot of questions, and their ace Jered Weaver hasn‘t looked like his usual self either. Josh Hamilton was off to a strong start, but a major thumb injury requiring surgery knocked him out for a couple months (sports injury alert). Mike Trout and Pujols remains a great combo to have in the lineup, but they can’t do it alone. Pujols has fueled the team with his current run up to 500 homers.
Albert Pujols is riding a nice hot streak, but don’t put him on pace to surpass Babe Ruth. Few players stay hot for an entire season and power hitters, even the best, tend to slump. Pujols is still hitting below .300 and age, and injuries are never kind to anyone, not even baseball legends. If Pujols drives in around 100 runs and hits near 40 homers, then he has done his job for the Angels. So, is he an early candidate for comeback player of the year? I think there are more worthy candidates like Tim Hudson, and Grady Sizemore out there, but one thing it is certain. For me, and for baseball, it’s good to see Albert Pujols hitting his stride once again.
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