Albert Pujols

Baseball Player

• Born: January 16, 1980
• Place of Birth: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

DOMINICAN-BORN BASEBALL PLAYER

After breaking into the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2001, Pujols was one of the best and most consistent athletes in professional baseball during the 2000s. He won the National League most valuable player award three times in that decade and led the Cardinals to the 2006 World Series title. He won another World Series with the Cardinals in 2011 before joining the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he achieved milestones such as his 700th career home run and 3,000th career hit.

AREAS OF ACHIEVEMENT:Baseball

Early Life

José Alberto Pujols Alcántara, better known as Albert Pujols, was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on January 16, 1980. His father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a painter and softball pitcher, and after his parents divorced when he was three years old, Pujols and his father moved in with his grandmother. During the summer of 1996, Pujols, his father, and his grandmother immigrated to New York City, but shortly after arriving moved to Independence, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City.

Because of his inability to speak English, Pujols initially struggled adjusting to life in the United States but excelled as a shortshop for Fort Osage High School’s baseball team. Pujols played two years for his high school team before graduating early, during the first semester of his senior year, in order to play an additional season for Maple Woods Community College against tougher competition. During high school and college, Pujols drew the attention of several Major League Baseball (MLB) scouts and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the thirteenth round of the 1999 MLB Draft. During the 2000 season, he rapidly progressed through the Cardinals’ farm system, beginning in low-level Class A and ending the year with the Cardinals’ Class-AAA club. In the minor leagues, Pujols was developed as a third baseman but also played left field.

Life’s Work

Before the 2001 season, Pujols was invited to spring training but was expected to start the year in AAA. Because of his excellent performance while playing a variety of positions during spring training, Pujols made the major-league club and started for the Cardinals on opening day. He got off to a hot start and was named National League rookie of the month for both April and May, and, after remaining productive throughout the season, was selected for the National League All-Star team. After batting .329 with 27 home runs and 130 runs batted in (RBI) during the 2001 season, Pujols was unanimously selected the National League rookie of the year and finished fourth in National League most valuable player (MVP) voting.

Pujols was originally expected to be a third baseman, but he played a number of different positions during his rookie season, including first base, third base, right field, and left field. Pujols continued the offensive success of his rookie season in 2002, even though he played the majority of his games in left field because the Cardinals had acquired star third baseman Scott Rolen. During the 2003 season, Pujols split time between the outfield and first base, but continued his offensive consistency, winning the National League batting title with a .359 average while hitting 43 home runs. Pujols was made a full-time first baseman in 2004 and had one of his best offensive seasons, leading the Cardinals to the World Series, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox.

After the 2005 season Pujols received his first National League MVP award; he later received the award again in 2006 and 2009. He next led the Cardinals to the 2006 World Series title, defeating the favored Detroit Tigers. After the 2006 season, Pujols received his first Gold Glove award, issued to the top fielders at every position in both leagues. Pujols continued to amass numerous awards throughout the remainder of the 2000s, including player of the decade awards from Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and ESPN.

The Cardinals made the World Series again in 2011, and in their October 22 game against the Rangers, Pujols tied records for the most hits, home runs, and runs batted in (RBIs) in a single World Series game, becoming the first player to hold records in all three categories. He also became a World Series champion for the second time, as the Cardinals won four games to the Rangers' three.

Following that season, Pujols became a free agent and signed a ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The deal was worth approximately $254 million, reflecting his status as one of baseball's best and most consistent hitters for both average and power. However, from the beginning of his Angles tenure Pujols did not live up to his Cardinals legacy according to most metrics. While still generally performing above the average player, his statistics steadily declined in virtually every category, with some fluctuation year-to-year. He missed most of the 2013 season due to a knee injury, but returned in 2014 to hit his 500th career home run, becoming only the twenty-sixth player in history to reach that number. That year he also became the fifth player to reach 2500 hits and 500 home runs while maintaining a batting average of .310. In the 2015 season he was named American League Player of the Month for the month of June and made the All-Star Game for the first time as an Angel. That year he hit forty home runs for the seventh time in his career, reaching that mark more times than any other active Major League player, though he also posted a new low batting average of .244.

Even as Pujols declined as an all-around superstar, he remained a notable power hitter and run producer. He collected 116 RBIs in 2016, and in 2017 he was the ninth person to hit the major landmark of 600 career home runs. However, he also hit a new career low batting average in 2017, at .241. On May 4, 2018, Pujols notched his 3,000th career MLB hit, becoming just the thirty-second player to reach that milestone. It also made him only the fourth player to record both 3,000 hits and 600 home runs.

As he approached age 40, Pujols’ production continued to decline, but he remained a dangerous power hitter. In May 2021, the Angels released Pujols, who promptly signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2022, Pujols re-signed with St. Louis and announced that he would retire after the season. He finished the year with 24 home runs, and passed the 700 HR mark in late September, only the fourth player in MLB history to reach that plateau. He retired with 703 HRs—fourth most all time—and 2,218 RBIs, second most in MLB history. He will be eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2028.

Significance

Pujols was one of the most consistent and well-rounded baseball players of his generation. Although he dealt with several injuries and late-career statistical decline, he rarely missed significant time, appearing in more than 140 games in all but two of his major league seasons from 2001 to 2020. He also hit for both average and power, batting .296 over his career with more than 700 home runs and 2,200 RBIs.

In addition to his athletic achievements, Pujols was active in the community through his Pujols Family Foundation. The foundation was established in 2005 by Pujols and his wife, Deidre, to assist families and children with Down syndrome (his oldest daughter, Isabella, was born with the condition) and support impoverished children in the Dominican Republic. For his humanitarian efforts, Pujols received the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given to one major league player each year for his activities both on and off the playing field.

Bibliography

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Gotsulias, Stacey. "Albert Pujols: A Mini Retrospective of His Last Five Seasons." Beyond the Box Score, 10 Feb. 2016, www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2016/2/10/10952582/albert-pujols-los-angeles-angles-retrospective-last-five-seasons. Accessed 3 Sept. 2024.

Kelly, Matt, and Thomas Harrigan. "Who Will Be MLB's Next Unanimous Hall of Famer?" MLB.com, 7 Jan. 2024, www.mlb.com/news/who-will-be-the-next-unanimous-hall-of-famer. Accessed 3 Sept. 2024.

Lamb, Scott, and Tim Ellsworth. Pujols: More Than the Game. Nashville: Nelson, 2011. Print.

McNeal, Stan. If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the St. Louis Cardinals Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box. Chicago: Triumph, 2015. Print.

Rains, Rob. Albert the Great: The Albert Pujols Story. Champaign: Sports, 2005. Print.

Rains, Rob. Albert Pujols: Simply the Best. Chicago: Triumph, 2009. Print.

Simon, Bob. "Albert Pujols: A Superstar Off and On the Field." CBS News, 17 Apr. 2011, www.cbsnews.com/news/albert-pujols-a-superstar-on-and-off-the-field/. Accessed 3 Sept. 2024.