Will Albert Pujols go down as the greatest baseball player ever?

[Slyfox696]

I live in a small town about two hours south of St. Louis, so I hear plenty about the Cardinals, and of course, Albert Pujols. However, I've always kind of brushed aside Pujols talk, because of where I live. But, when you start to look at the man's numbers, it definitely brings up an important question. Will Albert Pujols go down as the greatest baseball player ever?

We'll start with the hitting stats.

As you can see there, Albert Pujols numbers are just incredible. He's never had a year in HR lower than 30. He's never had fewer than 100 RBI. He's never had a batting average under .314. His lowest on base percentage came in 2002, where he had a .394 OBP. To compare that, Hall of Famer Lou Brock never had an OBP as high as .394. Albert Pujols lowest OBP is higher than Lou Brock's highest OBP. Furthermore, unlike many hitters, Pujols hasn't slumped at all since baseball started testing for steroids. Pujols has never struck out 100 times in a season, and he's a perennial Triple Crown threat, including this year, where he's first in HR, first in RBI and third in BA. The man can swing the stick. If he continues at his current pace for ten more years, he will have a shot to take down Barry Bonds as the all-time home run king.

But, that's not all Pujols can do. He is very good defensively at first base, earning a Gold Glove in 2006, and contending for it each of the last two years, and making another run at it this year. He rarely makes a defensive mistake, many times bailing his teammates out with his quick decision making and accurate glove. He's very good on the basepaths, even stealing 16 bases a few years ago, and almost never getting caught by making a dumb base running move.

But, that's not all. So many people in sports judge the quality of an individual based upon his team's success. Pujols has that covered to. Since he's been on the Cardinals, they have only finished under .500 one time. They've won 100 games twice, they've won their division 4 times, they've won the NL pennant twice, and the World Series once. Not only is Pujols a great player, his teams win too.


So, I ask. Will Pujols go down as the greatest baseball player ever? He can hit, he can run, he can field, and he wins. Who tops that?

 

[klunderbunker]

Hard to say as he's still relatively young and there's a lot of wildcards to consider. The biggest of all: injuries. No matter how dominant a player has been, a simple wrong step can change their career forever. If you don't believe me, look up a Reds pitchre named Jim Maloney. 3 no hitters, snapped his ankle heading to first and was average at best afterwards. Griffey is a great example of soemthing like this.

Assuming he's healthy though, it's possible but I'm not sure. His stats are certainly way up there and will definitely be some of the best ever, but will he be the best player ever? Hard to say. He's by far and away the best player now, but I'm not sure if I'd call him the best ever as it's going to take a lot to knock Babe Ruth out of that spot. Part of what's going to hurt him is that he plays first base. While he does it very well, it's still considered one of the easiest positions to play. Yes he can field, but he fields well at probably the easiest position. That and his stolen bases are just ok with only one number that jumps out at you. Granted, it looks like he'll duplicate that this year.

Overall, I thiunk it's just too early to tell. He'll certainly be way up there, but as for greatest ever, that's a very big jump to make. Ask me again in 5 years and I'll have a more definitive answer for you.

 

[Cowboyfromhell]

I think the Colonel, who posted above me, has a good point. Let him get through maybe 5 more years and pray he stays healhy, then if he keeps on this pace he has to be in the conversation as one of the all time greats. Plus (this has nothing to do with his place in history) he seems like a good guy, signing autographs for kids and charity in the community. And he seems to be clean. Aside from sticking tons of foreign substances in his body, Barry Bonds was a dick to people. So it's nice to have a good guy actually be a hell of a ball player too. And I'm not even a Cardinals fan.

 

[ztwhite]

The problem Pujols will face is quite simple really - the steroid era.

Despite however "clean" he may be, he will always be associated with the juice in baseball. I'm pretty darn sure dozens of major leaguers are using HGH and since the testing is not up to snuff when it comes to HGH, you'll never know whether or not he uses it.

Do I think he does ?? I'll just say I can't rule out that he doesn't.

So as for Albert being labeled as the greatest baseball player ever - no !!

That title will forever lie with guys like Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron or Willie Mays. We know they weren't on any form of illegal substances, so surpassing them in the eyes and minds of baseball historians is next to impossible.

 

[Tenta]

It's definitely a feasible occurrence.... The stats, at this moment, seem to correlate with a player that will likely be in the "Greatest Player Ever" discussion. And say what you want about The Cardinals, but man is a winner, plain and simple. He already has a World Series ring, and I think it's very possible that Pujols could win another three or four in his career. He already has two MVP trophies, and he's only been playing for eight years, really. There's a great chance he'll win one this year, with Joe Mauer winning the AL MVP He has all of the talent, and it doesn't seem like his ability to play is dropping off any time soon. However, I do have my share of concerns:

1. He has his fair share on injuries. Already, he's had to sit time for elbow, calf, and an oblique. While I know this really didn't start until 2006, the fact that he piles up these injuries is a bit troubling for me. While his body is in the shape it's in, he needs to maximize these outstanding years of his, which we must consider his prime. Otherwise, it's very possible that his injuries will get the better of him by the time that his mid 30s, in which he'll have to cement his status as the greatest player ever.

2. And it's already been mentioned... the steroid era. He's going to have to answer all of the questions that will plague him for the rest of his career, and there's absolutely no way Albert can fail any test in his entire career for PEDs. Albert has hit 350 home runs since his bebut in 2001. Consider the names that have fallen before him, that normally would have challenged him for the title of "greatest player ever":

Barry Bonds: Could very easily be considered The Home Run King. Now, the numbers 73 and 762 have evaporated, and mean nothing to us.

Alex Rodriguez: Was to become the man to save baseball from the number 762, and was to have shattered Barry's numbers. Now, he is viewed as a cheater, and is nowhere near the discussion.

Manny: Once a lovable loaf... Now, just like these men, have been found to have cheated as well.

And let's not forget the names that came before Pujols, but not too far off; Palmeiro, McGwire, Sosa, Giambi. All of these men, whether fair or not, will leave a taint on whatever Albert does, as he is a product of the era. Now, if he doesn't fail a test, then we may have something. But he's going to have to live with the stigma of the Era in which he is a member of.

In short, he has the potential, but as Bill Parcells says "let's not get the anointing oil out yet". This man still has a career left to play. And it's far too early to say that this man will be the best ever.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

He plays for the Cardinals, so I, as a Cubs fan, do not give a shit for Albert Pujols. He's a great baseball player, but he won't be anywhere near an elite player. He has too many years left to either get hurt or be busted for steroids. So as far as being a great player? Yea, he'll be known as someone who was great, but the greatest of all time? Not even in the top 50.

 

[CH David]

I, like the majority so far, feel it is still too early to tell if should be called the greatest player baseball has ever seen. I won't go into too much detail because they have already been said, but I will add to them if I can.

Injuries have to be minimal, and he can't have a season ending injury due to needing Tommy John surgery, or any other injury that will hinder him in the future. Ken Griffey Jr, I think KB mentioned him, who has sweetest looking swing in baseball, was thought to be the one who broke Hank Aaron's record. But then he went to the Reds, and when he got into his 30's, while still playing at a high level, was racking up injury after injury, and that was put to rest.

Steroids will also be a key question. Now I don't think that Albert has taken steroids, but we don't know. A-Rod's name was leaked and he got a ton of backlash because of it. I think if Pujols' was linked to steroids, a lot of people would lose respect for him, and not care what he accomplishes. But so far, Albert is where he is because he just a beast, or "machine" according to ESPN commercials.

Lastly, it is going to take a lot to convince the majority of people that Babe Ruth would no longer be the greatest player of all time. Or even to get past Ted Williams, Willie Mays and a few more. I think we truly have to wait until his career is over and we can reflect upon it. I do think he will go down as probably the greatest first basemen to play the game, but it is just very difficult to gauge where he would be on that list.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Lariat, you can't blindly hate on a guy because he plays for your rivals. Look at the numbers. He is the only player in baseball history to start his career in eight consecutive seasons with a .300+ batting average, 30+ HRs, 100+ RBIs and 99+ runs scored. From 2001 through 2008, his seasonal averages in these Triple Crown categories have been .334, 40, and 122. No one else in MLB history has done this. NO ONE. He will easily be in the discussion for the top ten players ever, at the very least.

EDIT: I also see people have been worried about his health. In the 8 1/2 years he has been in MLB, he has been on the DL twice. He has had elbow problems, but he has moved to first base to help offset that, and has had surgery to help repair the problem.


ps. Screw the cubs, I'm a Cards fan all the way

 

[z99zazn]

I'm a lifelong Cards fan. I live about 20 minutes from Dowtown St. Louis, and I love Albert, just as everyone does here in the STL. But will he go down as the greatest baseball player of all time? No way in Hell. I think Albert will be top 10 or 15 at best. While you've yet to hear serious steroid speculation with Albert, no one can deny that he played in the steroid era. Anyone that played between 1990 and to whenever all the faces of steroids are out of the game will deal with that stigma.

Albert has 351 home runs right now. Who knows how many he'll end up with. He's been blessed with amazing consistency so far in his career and his health has never been bad. But what are the chances he goes his entire career without a serious injury? He already had the injury last year that needed surgery, but he played through it and had a hell of a season. This year has the potential to be his best, but we won't find that out till all 162 games are played.

Another thing people need to look at, but probably won't is his age. Right now Albert is listed as 29 years old, but do we know that for a fact? People are probably going to jump all over me for this, but look at this. Its no secret that some Dominican players, a la, Miguel Tejada, El Duque, and others, have lied about their age, or there has been a lot of speculation about their ages. Another thing, look at Albert's hair. The man is balding at 29, and has been for awhile! Also, he came into the majors in 2001 with such strength and power that he didn't seem at all to be a young rookie, but a bit older. Do I think Albert is older than 29? I'm not sure, and for his legacy, I really hope not. But I do think that its possible and everyone should be open to that thought.

Homers don't make the player, but if you want to talk about him being the career home run leader when he retires, hes going to have to keep his consistency up of over 40 home runs for the next 10 seasons or so. He'd be 39 or 40 by that time. If anyone can do that, It'd be Albert, but I highly doubt he could do that.

What makes Pujols the star he is, is the consistensy he shows through every situation, his gold glove defense at first base, and the love everyone that loves the Cards feels for him. We don't know what its like not to have a superstar his calibur, because he took over as our superstar immediately after McGwire retired. Sure, Big Mac was on the Cards during Pujols' first season, as Albet was in the outfield, but he wasn't the same player. We also still had Edmonds at that point, and Rolen not too long after. Albert is doing it alone now. We have a lineup made up completely of guys that should be hitting lower in the order than they do. Ludwick might be a legit cleanup guy, but this season has been proving otherwise (Though he has turned it up a bit this week, and Colby Rasmus is playing great).

If Pujols continues to stay healthy through his whole career, doesn't face any additional steroid speculation, has guys that can protect him, and keeps playing on winning ball clubs, he definitely has a shot to be at the top or at least right near the top. But those are all big "IFs". I pray Albert finishes his career with the Cards and finishes it strong, but I think its a bit far fetched to call him potentially the greatest player of all time.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I don't know about the greatest but he could be in the discussion if he keeps up this current pace. He can hit for average and definitely for power. He's good defensively and is one of the best clutch hitters currently playing right now. The steroid issue is always going to creep up and he will constantly get asked questions about it. If he is clean and stays clean for the rest of his career, he will be somebody the fans rally around as he chases for the home run crown. If he plays for another ten to twelve years without major injuries, I can see him hitting around 800 HR's which may be first or second behind Alex Rodriguez.