Thursday, December 30, 2010

Ten Overlooked Baseball Success Stories

2. Albert Pujols
Yes, yes, Albert is the best player in the game right now. But is he appreciated for his place in history, or is he a victim of the offensive exhaustion caused by the 10-year period leading up to the Cardinals' 2006 world championship?

Joe Posnansky recently tweeted that in Pujols' 10 seasons, his average year reads as .331, 44 doubles, 42 homers, 123 runs, 128 RBIs, and that just nine players have matched those season numbers even once. Pujols' WARP is third all-time among first basemen, behind Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. His OPS ranks fifth among all-time players, and he's sixth in OPS+. What's more, Pujols has won three MVP awards and two Gold Gloves.

We are looking at one of the greatest players who ever donned a uniform, and even in a season in which Joey Votto gave us a wonderful story, Albert batted .312 and led the league in runs, homers, RBIs and, of course, intentional walks.

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