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Albert Pujols joined an elite club of power hitters as he launched his 600th career home run on Saturday. The historic at-bat came against Ervin Santana, a player that Pujols had surprisingly faced only a dozen times. A fourth inning grand slam added another notch to Pujols’ career belt. His monumental achievement places him in a group with eight of baseball’s all-time purest sluggers.
Pujols easily fits with history’s most powerful swingers, but that narrow-minded image disrespects his all-around production with the bat. He burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old who outplayed his 402nd overall selection in the 1999 Draft. Recording a rookie season for the ages, Pujols’ 6.6 WAR sits behind only the debut seasons of Ichiro Suzuki (7.7) and Ted Williams (6.7). However, it is easy to argue that the slugging first baseman possesses the most impressive all-around season of the trio:
Pujols’ Rookie Season
| Rk | Player | WAR | G | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ichiro Suzuki | 7.7 | 157 | 127 | 242 | 34 | 8 | 8 | 69 | 30 | 56 | .350 | .838 |
| 2 | Ted Williams | 6.7 | 149 | 131 | 185 | 44 | 11 | 31 | 145 | 107 | 2 | .327 | 1.045 |
| 3 | Albert Pujols | 6.6 | 161 | 112 | 194 | 47 | 4 | 37 | 130 | 69 | 1 | .329 | 1.013 |
*Provided by Baseball-Reference.com
St. Louis fans quickly accepted Pujols, who became a staple within the lineup, pushing the Cardinals to being the lead horse in the National League Central. Behind his powerful bat, the 2003 batting champion led the franchise to its first ever back-to-back 100-win seasons. Exciting numbers that were sustained with historic consistency translated to a nearly unrivaled start to his career. At the time, only Ted Williams proved to be a more valuable player, though he has since been overtaken by current teammate Mike Trout.
First Five Seasons
| Rk | Player | WAR | G | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ted Williams | 45.1 | 736 | 683 | 925 | 191 | 41 | 165 | 638 | 651 | 11 | .353 | 1.131 |
| 2 | Mike Trout | 38.1 | 652 | 477 | 744 | 143 | 32 | 139 | 397 | 361 | 113 | .304 | .956 |
| 3 | Albert Pujols | 37.6 | 790 | 629 | 982 | 227 | 11 | 201 | 621 | 401 | 29 | .332 | 1.037 |
*Provided by Baseball-Reference.com
Similar to the greatness of LeBron James, Peyton Manning, and Tiger Woods, it became the norm for Pujols to perform at a level somewhat overlooked on a year-to-year basis. After making his mark early, he maintained a steady pace to round out his first decade in the Major Leagues. He closed the gap to join the familiar Ted Williams atop an exclusive list. The pairing’s statistics remain well removed from the rest of history. Only Willie Mays is seen in the rear view mirror.
First Ten Seasons
| Rk | Player | WAR | G | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ted Williams | 83.7 | 1421 | 1273 | 1763 | 366 | 61 | 323 | 1261 | 1327 | 20 | .347 | 1.117 |
| 2 | Albert Pujols | 81.1 | 1558 | 1186 | 1900 | 426 | 15 | 408 | 1230 | 914 | 75 | .331 | 1.050 |
| 3 | Willie Mays | 76.8 | 1372 | 1013 | 1657 | 265 | 94 | 319 | 935 | 647 | 222 | .316 | .975 |
*Provided by Baseball-Reference.com
Pujols’ eleventh season was one under a watchful eye as many expected he would depart from his long-time team. The writing was on the wall as the slugger dipped below a .300 average for the first time. St. Louis filled eternal highlight reels in their World Series victory. In the end, Pujols packed his bags after signing a 10-year, $240 Million contract with the Los Angeles Angels. His production has slowed out west, though he remains one of the game’s purest power hitters. His 40-home run season at the age of 35 put him a class with fifteen other hitters. Now closing in on two decades in the MLB, he has joined another exclusive class of players with a career WAR of at least 100. With only 21 members, it is a more selective group than the 3,000 hit club (another mark Pujols is nearing).
Overlooked
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The latter stages of Pujols’ career have been generally lackluster given the move out west. Los Angeles desperately lacks talent beyond Pujols and Trout who account, for $46M of the team’s overall payroll. For comparison, the Milwaukee Brewers team payroll is only a shade over $61M. He’s less than 150 hits short of the 3,000 hit club. The next milestone would put him in even more elite company. His 2017 pace projects him just shy at the end of the current season. Likely to surpass the next threshold before he retires, Pujols will be among the game’s all-time greats as only Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Alex Rodriguez (not Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Barry Bonds) have achieved 3,000 hits and 600 home runs.
The Dominican superstar has already cemented his legacy with the most RBI by a foreign born player. As he continues to ascend the all-time leaderboards, Pujols’ ten All-Star appearances, two World Series championships, three MVP awards, six Silver Slugger awards, and two Gold Glove awards all become simple complements to a career nearly unmatched in baseball’s decorated history.