Technically speaking, Albert Pujols had the worst season of his career. Sure, he hit 37 homers, batted .299 and had 99 RBIs with a .906 OPS, but he led the league in one statistical category
Grounded into double plays. Everything else was the worst of his 11-season career.
In fact, a quick glance at the numbers Pujols has produced this season proves that he soon will drop to the status of a mere mortal. Of all the years to not to have his routine season, Pujols picked the wrong one.
See, Pujols is playing out the last year of his eight-year contract signed before the 2004 season. His salary is 16 million for 2011 and speculation is that it could climb as much as twice that rate in the future. Whether the Cardinals can afford Pujols no matter what the price tag remains up in the air, so its understandable that the team is making some contingency plans.
Nevertheless, if the Cardinals lose Pujols there likely will be some fallout in St. Louis. That only makes sense considering Pujols not only is a pillar of the community in his hometown, but also is the best hitter of this generation.
Actually, when all is said and done, Pujols could go down as the greatest right-handed hitter to ever play. He could be the yin to Ted Williams yang, or perhaps more apt, the right-handed Stan Musial.
Fact is fact Albert Pujols is the best hitter of this generation. Shoot, he may even be the best hitter since Stan Musial and Ted Williams.
MLB
We came up together in 01 so we got to play against each other quite a bit, said Phillies starter Roy Oswalt, who faced Pujols a lot back when the pitcher was with the Astros. What I like about him the most is that he can carry a team. He can carry a team by himself. Hes done it for a number of years in St. Louis and hes a quality guy.
Some of us caught only a bit of Rod Carews career and remember seeing him play a few times on NBCs Saturday afternoon Game of the Week with Tony Kubek and Joe Garagiola doing the call in the late 70s. Carew had that big old chew in his right cheek and that crazy batting stance of his where he would crouch way back on his back foot while holding the bat as if it were a conductors baton. All the kids imitated Carews stance as best they could only without the results.
Who could forget George Brett? During the 1980 season when Brett was flirting with .400, one of the 12 channels we got back in those days would cut into the regular programming to let everyone know where Bretts latest hit placed his batting average.
Then there was Tony Gwynn, who was as pure a hitter as there was. Gwynn made it look like he was using a tennis racket at the plate and routinely killed the Phillies whenever he came to town. There was a doubleheader at the Vet on July 22,1994 when Gwynn went 6 for 8four hits in the first game and two more in the second. Though, for some reason it always seemed as if Gwynn got nine or 10 hits that day.
All of those guys are great hitters, but there is something unique about Pujols.
He has a real good approach at the plate, Oswalt said. You cant really stick with one plan when you face himyou have to try and get him out in different ways.
Oswalt is a pitcher, of course, and doesnt quite have the hitting expertise of someone like Charlie Manuel. After all, there are just a handful of people on the planet who understand hitting a baseball as well as Manuel. Think about itwhen Manuel was first coming up through the ranks in pro ball, none other than Williams took a shine to the future Phillies skipper. There was something about that big, lefty swing from that raw-boned kid from Buena Vista, Virginia that caught the eye of the greatest hitter who ever lived.
While coming up with the Twins, Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew and Carew were his teammates. When he joined the Dodgers, Manuel couldnt unseat Steve Garvey, Bill Buckner, Ron Cey or Jimmy Wynn for playing time. Because he couldnt get the opportunities in the U.S., Manuel went to Japan where he and the legendary Sadaharu Oh were the top sluggers.
Back in the states as a coach, Manuel mentored some of the all-time greats. Hitters like Kirby Puckett, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle and now, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley thrived under Manuel. Some of them are headed to the Hall of Fame. No doubts there.
So Chuck, how good is Pujols?
Hes up there, Manuel said. Hes right up there with the best of them.
Manuel says its difficult to compare Pujols to the all-time greats because his style is so unique. Its impossible to compare him to Williams or any other all-time great because there is no other standard. With his wide stance and the way he holds his hands back far when he loads up, the style stands out. Its impossible to label Pujols method anything but his own.
He has a style all of his own, Manuel said. Youre not going to see too many guys spread out like that and hold his hands the way he does. Hes unlike anyone.
Manuel wasnt ready to gush platitudes all over an opponent when there still are games to play in the series. Plus, Pujols is still a work in progress. Though hes wrapping up his 11th season in the big leagues, Pujols is 31 two months younger than Howard.
Its not unreasonable to believe that Pujols can have even greater years of production in the short term. If he plays long enough, Pujols very well could be the first player to get 3,000 hits and 700 home runs. He needs 940 hits and 256 homers to get there.
So Chuck, how good is Pujols?
You know what, with the way he stands in there hes a lot like Joe DiMaggio, Manuel said. Only stronger. Hes like a stronger Joe DiMaggio.
Thats a good one. When Pujols first came up, DiMaggio was the comparison many in the press made simply based on the production. However, 11 years into his career its clear Pujols is going to places very few have seen.
The smart thing is to get out to the ballpark and see for yourself. Chances are Pujols will be the greatest hitter your eyes have seen, too.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com