Pujols (1 Viewer)

ST. LOUIS - Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg are being left behind in the dust.

Joe DiMaggio is nowhere close.

Contemporaries Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez cannot squeeze into the conversation.

When the topic turns to greatest right-handed power hitter of all time, there is only one reasonable answer: St. Louis' Albert Pujols.

He goes into Wednesday's play with the highest slugging percentage all-time among right-handed hitters at .628 and rising. He has a .713 slugging percentage for this season.

"It's certainly no disrespect to the other players, but this guy is the best hitter and the best player in all of baseball,'' Detroit manager Jim Leyland said of Pujols.

Foxx (.609) and Greenberg (.605) are the only other right-handed hitters with a slugging percentage at .600-plus lifetime. The great DiMaggio finished at .579, which puts him ahead of Rodriguez (.576) but behind Ramirez (.594).

"Since Albert's rookie year, I've thought that I'm watching one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time,'' St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said. "It doesn't make any difference to say he's the greatest. Just to be in that company is good enough.''

If the slugging percentage does not carry the discussion, consider what Pujols threatens to accomplish this season.

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He could become the first hitter in more than half a century to lead a league in home runs while having fewer strikeouts than long balls.

Pujols went into the game against the New York Mets with 26 homers, most in the majors, and only 28 strikeouts. To realize what that says about Pujols the hitter, consider some comparisons.

Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena led the American League with 22 homers, which almost offset his 91 strikeouts.

Philadelphia's Ryan Howard and Detroit's Miguel Cabrera were the league home-run champions last season. Howard had 48 homers and 199 strikeouts. Cabrera had 37 homers and 126 whiffs.

Ted Kluszewski is the last hitter to lead a league in homers with fewer strikeouts than long balls. Kluszewski, a left-handed hitter, had 49 homers and 35 strikeouts with Cincinnati in 1954.

"Big Klu'' represented the end of an era.

He played during a time in which hitters were conscious about adjusting with two strikes in the count and not striking out. DiMaggio had seven seasons with more homers than strikeouts, including two in which he led the AL in homers. Lou Gehrig (1934 and '36), Johnny Mize (1947-48), Ted Williams (1941) and Ken Williams (1921) all accomplished the more-homers-than-strikeouts feat while leading a league in homers.

Hitters have changed. Strikeouts do not affect their swing-from-the-heels approach. Howard set the single-season record with 199 strikeouts in 2007 only to have Arizona's Mark Reynolds pass him with 204 strikeouts — and 28 homers — last season.

Texas' Chris Davis could take the strikeout mark to another level this season, if he stays in the lineup. Davis began Wednesday's play with 102 strikeouts in 225 at-bats. That would seem to offset Davis' 13 homers.

Mark Reynolds set himself up as the anti-Albert by striking out 204 times in 2008. (John Froschauer / Associated Press)

In this era of strikeout-mania, Pujols stands as an uncompromising figure.

Pujols hates strikeouts. He considers them the ultimate in tossed-away at-bats, and no at-bats should ever be wasted. Pujols has had fewer than 70 strikeouts annually since his rookie season of 2001. A year ago, Pujols had only 54 strikeouts in 524 at-bats and finished among the NL's top four in the Triple Crown categories.

Strength, balance and intelligence make Pujols a threatening hitter in any count. He is uniquely able to adjust to avoid the strikeout and still hit for power when deep in a count. He's had five homers with two strikes in the count.

"The game can keep you hungry and force you to make adjustments,'' Pujols said. "That's the main thing. We can't be perfect. We try to be perfect, but we can't be.''

Pujols' performance this season is more remarkable when put into the context of opponents' strategy.

The surrounding cast in St. Louis' lineup has tailed off after a good start. In the last 49 games going into Wednesday's play, the Cardinals averaged only 4.08 runs per game. They were 24-25 in that span.

There is no reason to pitch to Pujols. Former Colorado manager Clint Hurdle was prescient when he said before the season that Pujols "is going to get the Barry Bonds treatment and more.''

Before a recent series, Leyland said he would pitch around Pujols rather than challenge him "even if I had Dizzy Dean pitching.'' Pujols took four walks, three intentional, in three games against the Tigers.

Unlike Bonds, who stubbornly led the NL in walks 12 times, Pujols does not take the walks and move along. He dislikes walks almost as virulently as strikeouts.

Pujols reached 100 walks for the first time in his career last season. He has 23 intentional walks this season, more than double the total of any other major-leaguer, but only 54 walks overall.

With others around him struggling, Pujols has expanded his hitting zone this season. Sometimes, that has caused problems. He recently went through a 2-for-22 streak against Colorado and Florida.

Pujols found a way out. Since the 2-for-22, he has eight homers and 19 RBIs — with only six strikeouts — in 40 at-bats.

"I don't believe in luck, but I guess I'm getting some breaks,'' Pujols said during this latest surge. "Before that, I hit some balls hard and said 'Wow, I can't catch a break.'"

It was a short-term thing. Among right-handed hitters, no one generates more power than Albert Pujols. No one ever.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9724120...ipline-at-plate

I'm gonna go with Jeff Kent here.

Also I think you missed something:

When the topic turns to greatest right-handed power hitter of all time, there is only one reasonable answer: St. Louis' Albert Pujols.

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Fixed.

I am not QUITE ready to put him ahead of Foxx, but damn he is at the doorstep and about to pound his way through. Obviously, in this era you have to still wonder if it's all clean, but the guy has such an unreal swing and simply no weakness in his offensive game. Considering he is JUST reaching his prime, and health allowing, should have 5-8 true prime years in him. Of course, health is no given (especially with the Elbow concerns), and we have seen others get to 30 and fall off a cliff somewhat - which will drag down the career numbers. But he should still have a number of years on the rise to more than offset for the career sunset.

While I might not be quite ready to say he is the best ever, I wouldnt put up a huge fight to someone who did.

do we need the "power" qualifier here?

i'd put him right there with Hornsby as the best overall RH hitter of all-time.

The article starts off equating power hitting with SLG but then goes off on a tangent of HR/SO ratio, which has value but doesn't really have much to do with raw power. The author doesn't make any attempt to normalize Pujols' production in an offensive-happy era with others who played earlier.

I think you have to at least throw Henry Aaron's and Willie Mays' names into the discussion. They're the career leaders in HR among right handed batters, in spite of playing during the worst era for offense in baseball history. Their SLG numbers reflect this.

iSnitch said:

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oso diablo said:

do we need the "power" qualifier here?i'd put him right there with Hornsby as the best overall RH hitter of all-time.

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Not sure about that. Per Eephus' point Hornsby has 7 adjusted OPS seasons in the top 154, Pujols has two. Pete Browning has two, Nap Lajoie has three, Jimmy Foxx has six. Aaron and Mays each have one but they have a ton of seasons in the 200s. Pujols is tied for 6th right now in career adjusted OPS but he is in his prime right now, the guys just behind him like Browning, McGwire, and Foxx have to be adjusted at the moment for years outside prime. Foxx was done in 1942 but got 300+ ABs after and McGwire was meh in his last season. Browning is the guy that had most of his great years up front, he had around a 190 OPS+ through his first 7 full seasons. Hornsby's seasons from 1920 to 1929 are just off the charts, it always surprises me when people talk about the very best ever that he is often left out. If Pujols stays healthy and has five or six more dominating seasons, I think he'll pass everyone but Hornsby but he might even pass him. Only hitter in my lifetime who I think was better was Barry Lamar Bonds.

Doctor Detroit said:

oso diablo said:

do we need the "power" qualifier here?i'd put him right there with Hornsby as the best overall RH hitter of all-time.

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Not sure about that. Per Eephus' point Hornsby has 7 adjusted OPS seasons in the top 154, Pujols has two. Pete Browning has two, Nap Lajoie has three, Jimmy Foxx has six. Aaron and Mays each have one but they have a ton of seasons in the 200s. Pujols is tied for 6th right now in career adjusted OPS but he is in his prime right now, the guys just behind him like Browning, McGwire, and Foxx have to be adjusted at the moment for years outside prime. Foxx was done in 1942 but got 300+ ABs after and McGwire was meh in his last season. Browning is the guy that had most of his great years up front, he had around a 190 OPS+ through his first 7 full seasons. Hornsby's seasons from 1920 to 1929 are just off the charts, it always surprises me when people talk about the very best ever that he is often left out. If Pujols stays healthy and has five or six more dominating seasons, I think he'll pass everyone but Hornsby but he might even pass him. Only hitter in my lifetime who I think was better was Barry Lamar Bonds.

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Pete Browning. Now there was a ballplayer...

Browning was tormented for his entire life by mastoiditis, a serious infection of the inner ear usually contracted during childhood, which can result in deafness, vertigo, facial palsy, and brain damage. As a result, he lost his hearing at a young age, and was faced with frequent bouts of crippling head pain. The deafness had led Browning to drop out of school at an early age, so that he went through life as a virtual illiterate, and in order to deaden the physical pain resulting from his condition, he began drinking heavily in his youth. The drinking quickly spiraled out of control; he often appeared on the field while drunk, and was suspended for the final two months of the 1889 season for drunkenness, along with other shorter suspensions at different times. He was unable to stop, however, frequently stating, "I can't hit the ball until I hit the bottle."Browning was a man of eccentric personal habits, particularly in relation to his bats. He spoke to them, and gave each one a name, often that of a Biblical figure. In the belief that any individual bat contained only a certain number of hits, he would periodically "retire" bats, keeping vast numbers of the retired ones in the home he shared with his mother. These bats were 37 inches long and 48 ounces in weight, enormous even by the standards of the time. He also habitually stared at the sun, thinking that by doing so, he would strengthen his eyes. He also "cleansed" his eyes when travelling by train by sticking his head out the window in an effort to catch cinders in them. Browning also computed his average on his cuffs on a regular basis, and was not above announcing to all when his train arrived at a depot that he was the champion batter of the American Association.He remained a lifelong bachelor, though his affection for prostitutes was a matter of much discussion in the newspapers.After his retirement as a player, Browning worked as a cigar salesman and owned a bar, which ultimately failed; but his physical condition continued to deteriorate due to the mastoiditis and resulting complications. He remained a popular Louisville figure until June 7, 1905, when he was declared insane and committed to a local asylum (Lakeland). A sister released him two weeks later, but a month after that, he was in the hospital, suffering from a general physical collapse. He died in Louisville on September 10 of that year at age 44. The specific cause of death was listed as asthenia (a weakening of the body), a cover-all medical term used by doctors of that time. However, he no doubt suffered from a wide variety of serious physical complaints. In addition to the mastoiditis, he was afflicted with cancer, advanced cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol-related brain damage, and according to some sources, paresis. He is buried in historic Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

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Eephus said:

Doctor Detroit said:

oso diablo said:

do we need the "power" qualifier here?i'd put him right there with Hornsby as the best overall RH hitter of all-time.

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Not sure about that. Per Eephus' point Hornsby has 7 adjusted OPS seasons in the top 154, Pujols has two. Pete Browning has two, Nap Lajoie has three, Jimmy Foxx has six. Aaron and Mays each have one but they have a ton of seasons in the 200s. Pujols is tied for 6th right now in career adjusted OPS but he is in his prime right now, the guys just behind him like Browning, McGwire, and Foxx have to be adjusted at the moment for years outside prime. Foxx was done in 1942 but got 300+ ABs after and McGwire was meh in his last season. Browning is the guy that had most of his great years up front, he had around a 190 OPS+ through his first 7 full seasons. Hornsby's seasons from 1920 to 1929 are just off the charts, it always surprises me when people talk about the very best ever that he is often left out. If Pujols stays healthy and has five or six more dominating seasons, I think he'll pass everyone but Hornsby but he might even pass him. Only hitter in my lifetime who I think was better was Barry Lamar Bonds.

Click to expand...

Pete Browning. Now there was a ballplayer...

Browning was tormented for his entire life by mastoiditis, a serious infection of the inner ear usually contracted during childhood, which can result in deafness, vertigo, facial palsy, and brain damage. As a result, he lost his hearing at a young age, and was faced with frequent bouts of crippling head pain. The deafness had led Browning to drop out of school at an early age, so that he went through life as a virtual illiterate, and in order to deaden the physical pain resulting from his condition, he began drinking heavily in his youth. The drinking quickly spiraled out of control; he often appeared on the field while drunk, and was suspended for the final two months of the 1889 season for drunkenness, along with other shorter suspensions at different times. He was unable to stop, however, frequently stating, "I can't hit the ball until I hit the bottle."Browning was a man of eccentric personal habits, particularly in relation to his bats. He spoke to them, and gave each one a name, often that of a Biblical figure. In the belief that any individual bat contained only a certain number of hits, he would periodically "retire" bats, keeping vast numbers of the retired ones in the home he shared with his mother. These bats were 37 inches long and 48 ounces in weight, enormous even by the standards of the time. He also habitually stared at the sun, thinking that by doing so, he would strengthen his eyes. He also "cleansed" his eyes when travelling by train by sticking his head out the window in an effort to catch cinders in them. Browning also computed his average on his cuffs on a regular basis, and was not above announcing to all when his train arrived at a depot that he was the champion batter of the American Association.He remained a lifelong bachelor, though his affection for prostitutes was a matter of much discussion in the newspapers.After his retirement as a player, Browning worked as a cigar salesman and owned a bar, which ultimately failed; but his physical condition continued to deteriorate due to the mastoiditis and resulting complications. He remained a popular Louisville figure until June 7, 1905, when he was declared insane and committed to a local asylum (Lakeland). A sister released him two weeks later, but a month after that, he was in the hospital, suffering from a general physical collapse. He died in Louisville on September 10 of that year at age 44. The specific cause of death was listed as asthenia (a weakening of the body), a cover-all medical term used by doctors of that time. However, he no doubt suffered from a wide variety of serious physical complaints. In addition to the mastoiditis, he was afflicted with cancer, advanced cirrhosis of the liver, alcohol-related brain damage, and according to some sources, paresis. He is buried in historic Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.

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The guys that played before Ruth and white baseballs transformed the game were incredible. So many fascinating stories from guys like Browning who were at the bottom of their social class, but at the top of the game of baseball.

Comparing greatest power hitters over the last hundred years based on the inflated numbers of today cannot possibly be quantified.

Better players who happened to bat right handed would include:

W. Mays

F. Robinson

R. Hornsby

J. Foxx

H. Aaron

J. Dimaggio

no idea why teams even pitch to Pujols - guys on MLB network were saying they would walk him every single time and take their chances. I would too. He is the greatest right handed hitter in my lifetime. And yes, I omitted the word power, he is simply awesome.

I think he is a top-10 hitter of all time, when all is said and done may be top 5. Guy is phenomenal. He is, what 29 now?

guru_007 said:

no idea why teams even pitch to Pujols - guys on MLB network were saying they would walk him every single time and take their chances. I would too. He is the greatest right handed hitter in my lifetime. And yes, I omitted the word power, he is simply awesome.I think he is a top-10 hitter of all time, when all is said and done may be top 5. Guy is phenomenal. He is, what 29 now?

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Bill James (i think) did a stats study a few years back on this question of the automatic walk to a feared hitter. Found that it didn't make sense to ALWAYS walk a batter, no matter* how much better he was than the rest of his team. * I believe he took the extreme hypothetical of a Babe Ruth on a team of otherwise all replacement level guys.

Sea Bass said:

Comparing greatest power hitters over the last hundred years based on the inflated numbers of today cannot possibly be quantified.

Better players who happened to bat right handed would include:

W. Mays

F. Robinson

R. Hornsby

J. Foxx

H. Aaron

J. Dimaggio

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He's a great defender, great baserunner, and a great clubhouse guy. And people have done plenty to be able to compare statisics between eras. Based on park adjusted and era adjust numbers, the only guy better than Pujols at this point as a hitter is Hornsby - and only by a slim margin. The other guys really arent close. Now, Albert hasnt hit his decline years yet, but he's also firmly in the middle of his prime years. Now, DiMaggio, Hornsby and Mays played premium defensive positions and Mays has no peer in this group on the basepaths, but Albert is certainly in the discussion.

HGH!

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?

If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

Sea Bass said:

Comparing greatest power hitters over the last hundred years based on the inflated numbers of today cannot possibly be quantified.

Better players who happened to bat right handed would include:

W. Mays

F. Robinson

R. Hornsby

J. Foxx

H. Aaron

J. Dimaggio

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What is this based on?

ffldrew said:

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

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has that been done before? Triple Crown for a given decade (20s, 30s, etc - not just any 10 year period)if not, has it been done for ANY 10 year period?Off the top of my head, gotta figure Ruth led the majors (or did you just mean the one league?) in HR and RBI in the 20s, but unsure about his average.

I still don't know why teams pitch to him...

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

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Did you even read the rest of the posts in this thread, or did you just pop in with this gem thinking that you'd break new ground?

bentley said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

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Did you even read the rest of the posts in this thread, or did you just pop in with this gem thinking that you'd break new ground?

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Popped in and thought I'd break new ground. What's your point?

Stay healthy my friend. Its a joy to watch him play.

Is it just me, or does it look like he blows the pitcher a kiss right before the pitch?

cobalt_27 said:

bentley said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

Click to expand...

Did you even read the rest of the posts in this thread, or did you just pop in with this gem thinking that you'd break new ground?

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Popped in and thought I'd break new ground. What's your point?

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That your "ooh, look at me. I'm original." statement has already been made several times.

oso diablo said:

ffldrew said:

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

Click to expand...

has that been done before? Triple Crown for a given decade (20s, 30s, etc - not just any 10 year period)if not, has it been done for ANY 10 year period?Off the top of my head, gotta figure Ruth led the majors (or did you just mean the one league?) in HR and RBI in the 20s, but unsure about his average.

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Hornsby has Ruth beat in AVG...something like .380 to .350. Hell, Hornsby had 1 year under Ruth's average.

Sammy3469 said:

oso diablo said:

ffldrew said:

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

Click to expand...

has that been done before? Triple Crown for a given decade (20s, 30s, etc - not just any 10 year period)if not, has it been done for ANY 10 year period?Off the top of my head, gotta figure Ruth led the majors (or did you just mean the one league?) in HR and RBI in the 20s, but unsure about his average.

Click to expand...

Hornsby has Ruth beat in AVG...something like .380 to .350. Hell, Hornsby had 1 year under Ruth's average.

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Ted Williams led 1940-49 in AVG and HRs but fell ten RBI short of Bob Elliot, in spite of missing three seasons during WWII (Elliot played all ten years).

From the Post-Dispatch, coming into this season:

Hornsby won two Triple Crowns as a Cardinal, in 1922 (.401-42-152) and in 1925 (.403-39-143). He is the only National Leaguer to win two Triple Crowns, and the league hasn’t seen a Triple Crown since Joe “Ducky” Medwick did it with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. As I poked around for info on Horsnby beyond the encyclopedia page on the floor, I found references to his “decade Triple Crown.” He’s believed to be the only player to have led a league in batting average, home runs and RBIs over the span of an entire decade. He did it in the 1920s:

Batting Average: .382

Home Runs: 250

RBIs: 1,153

On the way to mining those statistics, I learned that Hornsby finished in the top three in batting average every year in the 1920s save 1926. (He won six consecutive batting titles in the 20s and seven total in the decade.) Hornsby, the Hall of Famer, finished in the top seven in homers every year in the Roarin’ Decade, and he ranked in the top 10 in RBIs every year but 1923. It was a remarkable run of consistent and dynamic performance and it produced something unique — the “decade” Triple Crown.

It also sounded so familiar.

Since that day in Coors Field, Pujols has become the first player in history to start his career with eight consecutive seasons of at least a .300 average, at least 30 home runs and at least 100 RBIs. A scan of his finishes in the National League reveals that he’s only finished first once in one category — that batting title in 2003 — but he’s also only finished out of the top 10 in two of the 24 categories (eight years, three triple-crown stats … 24). Each time he ranked 11th. In 17 of those 24 categories, he finished in the top five.

Pujols has nearly pulled off what Hornsby did. Only better.

It was seeing the scorecard so close to Hornsby’s bio on my office floor that got me thinking. I admit, the Triple Crown has always kept me curious. Hornsby’s “decade” Triple Crown is particularly fascinating, because what other Triple Crown spans are out there? Could a “decade” Triple Crown be done again? And could there be a “career Triple Crown”?

Sure enough, we are watching both.

Starting on April 2, 2001, and counting forward to the end of this most recent season, here are the standings in the Triple Crown statistics for the National League (all stats include only those while playing for a NL club):

BATTING AVERAGE

Albert Pujols … .334

Todd Helton … .326

Chipper Jones … .317

Lance Berkman … .303

Juan Pierre … .300

HOME RUNS

Albert Pujols … 319

Adam Dunn … 278

Barry Bonds … 268

Lance Berkman … 263

Andruw Jones … 255

RBIs

Albert Pujols … 977

Lance Berkman … 879

Aramis Ramirez … 815

Andruw Jones … 770

Todd Helton … 748

Others have more RBIs in their careers and certainly more home runs, but since he made his major-league debut Pujols leads the National League in all three Triple Crown categories. And it’s not like his challengers are really that close. Through eight seasons, he has a career Triple Crown. Two more years like this and he’ll do what Hornsby did in the 1920s — only Pujols will have done it in his first 10 years in the league.

Pujols is also in line to win the “decade” Triple Crown for the 2000s, even though he spotted the rest of te league the entire 2000 season. With Bonds out of the game in 2008, Pujols passed him in home runs for the decade lead, 319 to Bonds’ 317. Entering the final year of the decade, Pujols leads the National League in all categories, Hornsby-like, with a .334-319-977 line. A typical year could clinch the Hornsby Crown.

Mining exact information from statistics decades old can be a dicey adventure. But using (really, exhausting) Baseball Musings and Baseball-Reference.com’s muscular Play Index, I went looking for other career Triple Crowns. I stuck with actual Triple Crown winners. The last three to lead their league in BA, HR and RBIs all came from the American League: Mickey Mantle in 1956 (.353-52-130), Frank Robinson in 1966 (.316-49-122), and Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 (.326-44-121). With a couple it’s difficult to get the exact rankings from the span of their careers, but all three had careers that mimicked the season — debut in April, last appear some time in September or October.

Not one of the three has a claim to a career Triple Crown. But it’s close.

From 1951 to 1968, Mantle was tops in the American League with his 536 home runs and 1,509 RBIs, but his .298 batting average ranked behind Hall of Famer Al Kaline. From 1961 to 1983, Yastrzemski was the only player to average enough plate appearances to qualify for a batting title (more than 10,000 PA), so his .285 was No. 1 in a Class of 1. But dial the PAs down to 9,000-plus and Rod Carew leapfrogs Yaz with a .331 average in that span. Yastrzemski ranked first in RBIs with 1,844, but was third in home runs with 452, trailing leader Harmon Killebrew’s 489.

From 1956 to 1976, Robinson split his time between both leagues, so comparing him against his league peers is hardly revealing. Against all of Major League Baseball, however, he does well. His .297 batting average ranks seventh — behind leader Roberto Clemente’s .321 and, say, Lou Brock’s .296. During the span of his career, Robinson ranks second in RBIs (1,812) and second in home runs (586), and he ranks second to the same guy in both. In fact, Hank Aaron almost has a career Triple Crown — just with Robinson’s career:

Aaron’s batting average during Robinson’s seasons: .306 … ranks 3rd

Aaron’s home runs during Robinson’s seasons: 715 … ranks 1st

Aaron’s RBIs during Robinson’s seasons: 2,122 … ranks 1st

Those ranks are across all of Major League Baseball. Since his debut at Coors Field, Pujols does rank well in the overall numbers — almost Aaron-like. Well, actually, almost Robinson-like to Aaron. Pujols ranks second to Alex Rodriguez in both RBIs (1,011 to 977) and home runs (364 to 319). Pujols, however, has quite a lead when it comes to batting average since his debut.

Albert Pujols … 334

Ichiro Suzuki … .331

Todd Helton … .326

Vladimir Guerrero … .323

Magglio Ordonez … .317

Chipper Jones … .317

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/bird-land...e-crown-or-two/

good article, Bob. thanks for posting. but i'm unclear what it means by a "career Triple Crown". actually, i think i do understand what the writer means, and if so, it's a pretty dubious marker. bracketing to the exact start/end points of a particular player is obviously going to be of greatest advantage to that particular player

Eephus said:

Sammy3469 said:

oso diablo said:

ffldrew said:

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

Click to expand...

has that been done before? Triple Crown for a given decade (20s, 30s, etc - not just any 10 year period)if not, has it been done for ANY 10 year period?Off the top of my head, gotta figure Ruth led the majors (or did you just mean the one league?) in HR and RBI in the 20s, but unsure about his average.

Click to expand...

Hornsby has Ruth beat in AVG...something like .380 to .350. Hell, Hornsby had 1 year under Ruth's average.

Click to expand...

Ted Williams led 1940-49 in AVG and HRs but fell ten RBI short of Bob Elliot, in spite of missing three seasons during WWII (Elliot played all ten years).

Click to expand...

Elliot=Draft Dodger

Bogart said:

Eephus said:

Sammy3469 said:

oso diablo said:

ffldrew said:

He's going to lead the 2000's in the Triple Crown - meaning starting in the 2000 season he will have lead the decade in BA/HR/RBI - at the start of the season he was at .334-319-977 - and that is without playing in 2000.

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has that been done before? Triple Crown for a given decade (20s, 30s, etc - not just any 10 year period)if not, has it been done for ANY 10 year period?Off the top of my head, gotta figure Ruth led the majors (or did you just mean the one league?) in HR and RBI in the 20s, but unsure about his average.

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Hornsby has Ruth beat in AVG...something like .380 to .350. Hell, Hornsby had 1 year under Ruth's average.

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Ted Williams led 1940-49 in AVG and HRs but fell ten RBI short of Bob Elliot, in spite of missing three seasons during WWII (Elliot played all ten years).

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Elliot=Draft Dodger

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Elliott was exempted from World War II military service due to head injuries from being hit by a pitch in 1943. He played in the NL so Ted Williams did have the AL Triple Crown for the decade of the forties.

Eephus said:

Bogart said:

Elliot=Draft Dodger

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Elliott was exempted from World War II military service due to head injuries from being hit by a pitch in 1943. He played in the NL so Ted Williams did have the AL Triple Crown for the decade of the forties.

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Joke killer. Did you take your kid to the game where Eliiot was hit in the head??

Two more bombs last night brings Albert to 30 on the season. Guy is incredible.

Bogart said:

Eephus said:

Bogart said:

Elliot=Draft Dodger

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Elliott was exempted from World War II military service due to head injuries from being hit by a pitch in 1943. He played in the NL so Ted Williams did have the AL Triple Crown for the decade of the forties.

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Joke killer. Did you take your kid to the game where Eliiot was hit in the head??

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I believe it was his grandkid, actually.

I watch most of the Cardinals games on Direct TV. At least twice a week he does something that amazes me. Its not always hitting either. He is an extremely good base runner and defensive 1B. I feel so fortunate that he is on my favorite team, and I get to watch him play all the time.

He's on pace for 20 steals, too. And with the Cardinals' offensive issues, he just may need to take enough chances to get there.

Not that I expect it to continue at this pace, but .335-60-150-120-20 wouldn't be a bad season's work.

Bob Sacamano said:

He's on pace for 20 steals, too. And with the Cardinals' offensive issues, he just may need to take enough chances to get there. Not that I expect it to continue at this pace, but .335-60-150-120-20 wouldn't be a bad season's work.

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Speaking of terrible calls....who the hell was the first base umpire last night that cost Wainwright the win? Rowand was out by at least half a step. I hated to see Wainwright get the ND because of that call. Admittedly, Lewis would still have been on second and B Molina still would have had the chance to drive him in with a single instead of a sac fly...but for heaven's sake, the umpire is a professional. i usually don't get mad at a blown call because they happen, but that one really set me off. Glad Cards got the win, but Wainwright deserved better than a ND.

Mr. Know-It-All said:

Bob Sacamano said:

He's on pace for 20 steals, too. And with the Cardinals' offensive issues, he just may need to take enough chances to get there. Not that I expect it to continue at this pace, but .335-60-150-120-20 wouldn't be a bad season's work.

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Speaking of terrible calls....who the hell was the first base umpire last night that cost Wainwright the win? Rowand was out by at least half a step. I hated to see Wainwright get the ND because of that call. Admittedly, Lewis would still have been on second and B Molina still would have had the chance to drive him in with a single instead of a sac fly...but for heaven's sake, the umpire is a professional. i usually don't get mad at a blown call because they happen, but that one really set me off. Glad Cards got the win, but Wainwright deserved better than a ND.

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To be fair, Cain deserved better than the L he would have gotten with that call, too.Mike Shannon's comment following that play: A ball in the dirt like that is always a tough call for the ump to make. The easiest way for him to make the call on a tight play like that is to watch the runner's foot and listen for the ball. On that ball in the dirt, you have to be looking two different places at once because you won't hear it hitting the glove.

FWIW, I find Shannon painful to listen to anymore. I was listening to a game a few weeks ago, and he sounded like a bad cross between late-career Harry Caray and late-career John Madden. I've never heard him stammer so much. It was sad.

Bob Sacamano said:

He's on pace for 20 steals, too. And with the Cardinals' offensive issues, he just may need to take enough chances to get there.

Not that I expect it to continue at this pace, but .335-60-150-120-20 wouldn't be a bad season's work.

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Insane. Those are Madden video game numbers. We are very lucky we are getting to see this guy play everyday.

A Pujols stat from the month of June - 14HRs - 14 Strikeouts

His numbers with the bases loaded this season are even more nuts:

6 for 8

4 grand slams

20 RBIs

Ridiculous.

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

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Recent history has shown that when the numbers are well above the historical norm, something is amiss.It's too bad that it has come to that but...

DropKick said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

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Recent history has shown that when the numbers are well above the historical norm, something is amiss.It's too bad that it has come to that but...

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Perhaps my love for the Cardinals blinds me to the possibility of his use of PEDs, but frankly I have never seen a more complete hitter. PEDs could explain the power, but not the raw hand eye coordination that he displays as he flat out rakes.To top it of, he is a great guy with regard to charitable contributions, so I'll save speculation until someone trots out evidence (and even then I'll probably be in complete denial).

Mr. Know-It-All said:

DropKick said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

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Recent history has shown that when the numbers are well above the historical norm, something is amiss.It's too bad that it has come to that but...

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Perhaps my love for the Cardinals blinds me to the possibility of his use of PEDs, but frankly I have never seen a more complete hitter. PEDs could explain the power, but not the raw hand eye coordination that he displays as he flat out rakes.To top it of, he is a great guy with regard to charitable contributions, so I'll save speculation until someone trots out evidence (and even then I'll probably be in complete denial).

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Totally fair. I love Pujols, too, and hope that it never comes to anything more than just pure speculation.Something just doesn't seem right, though. He's just so freaking awesome, I've been conditioned by Bonds and others over the last few years to become suspect. And, I think it's been demonstrated that, along with the increase in power, what you really see with steroids is the increased bat speed more than anything, which presumably would allow you to wait that microfraction of a second longer to see the pitch, and connect with greater authority than mere mortals not benefiting from PEDs. Like I said, I sincerely hope there's nothing to it with Pujols. I'd hate to have to adjust my interpretation of yet another hitter's ability through the qualifier that he's using PEDs. We've had to do this for a lot of guys, lately...Bonds, McGwire, A-Rod, Sosa, et al. None of them seem nearly as remarkable now to me as before.

Mr. Know-It-All said:

DropKick said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

Click to expand...

Recent history has shown that when the numbers are well above the historical norm, something is amiss.It's too bad that it has come to that but...

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Perhaps my love for the Cardinals blinds me to the possibility of his use of PEDs, but frankly I have never seen a more complete hitter. PEDs could explain the power, but not the raw hand eye coordination that he displays as he flat out rakes.To top it of, he is a great guy with regard to charitable contributions, so I'll save speculation until someone trots out evidence (and even then I'll probably be in complete denial).

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I've been lead to believe there's a little Kirby Puckett type of deal working there with him and Mrs. P in that she's MUCH more responsible for the charitable stuff and image crafting than one might believe. And that maybe Albert's not entirely the guy people want to think he is. That's not to say he's some horrible person masquerading as a saint. Just that maybe he'd be perceived as more closely resembling your typical athlete if she wasn't steering the image ship.

cobalt_27 said:

Mr. Know-It-All said:

DropKick said:

cobalt_27 said:

With all the love being showered on Pujols, is it forbidden to speculate about the integrity of his performance here?If so, I'll just quietly walk away. And wait.

Click to expand...

Recent history has shown that when the numbers are well above the historical norm, something is amiss.It's too bad that it has come to that but...

Click to expand...

Perhaps my love for the Cardinals blinds me to the possibility of his use of PEDs, but frankly I have never seen a more complete hitter. PEDs could explain the power, but not the raw hand eye coordination that he displays as he flat out rakes.To top it of, he is a great guy with regard to charitable contributions, so I'll save speculation until someone trots out evidence (and even then I'll probably be in complete denial).

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Totally fair. I love Pujols, too, and hope that it never comes to anything more than just pure speculation.Something just doesn't seem right, though. He's just so freaking awesome, I've been conditioned by Bonds and others over the last few years to become suspect. And, I think it's been demonstrated that, along with the increase in power, what you really see with steroids is the increased bat speed more than anything, which presumably would allow you to wait that microfraction of a second longer to see the pitch, and connect with greater authority than mere mortals not benefiting from PEDs. Like I said, I sincerely hope there's nothing to it with Pujols. I'd hate to have to adjust my interpretation of yet another hitter's ability through the qualifier that he's using PEDs. We've had to do this for a lot of guys, lately...Bonds, McGwire, A-Rod, Sosa, et al. None of them seem nearly as remarkable now to me as before.

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I won't be remotely surprised if it ever surfaces that he's been using. Tremendously disappointed, but not surprised. Not anymore.

Bob Sacamano said:

FWIW, I find Shannon painful to listen to anymore. I was listening to a game a few weeks ago, and he sounded like a bad cross between late-career Harry Caray and late-career John Madden. I've never heard him stammer so much. It was sad.

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Listened to the game on the way back from KC Sunday. Really sad.

St. Louis Bob said:

Bob Sacamano said:

FWIW, I find Shannon painful to listen to anymore. I was listening to a game a few weeks ago, and he sounded like a bad cross between late-career Harry Caray and late-career John Madden. I've never heard him stammer so much. It was sad.

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Listened to the game on the way back from KC Sunday. Really sad.

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Listening to the Cubs game:Rooney: The seagulls are starting to circle.Shannon: Hide the peanut butter.

AWESOME

An All-Star meeting: Musial and PujolsBy Rick HummelST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCHSaturday, Jul. 11 2009Stan Musial, the greatest Cardinal of them all, met up with Albert Pujols, the greatest Cardinal of now and perhaps of a very long time, for an All-Star photo session one day recently.Between the photo clicks, the picture that emerged was one of two St. Louis baseball icons from different eras with an admiration for each other. They traded tips on hitting, joked about their salaries and golf games and showed appreciation for a baseball bat as only two sluggers of their stature could.Musial, who appeared in 24 All-Star Games and is expected to play a key role in Tuesday's pre-game ceremony, was asked point-blank if Pujols was the greatest Cardinal since himself. "Sure," he said.Musial, a few months shy of 89 years old now, went on to point out that Rogers Hornsby, who played a couple of decades ahead of Musial, would have to be considered on the all-time Cardinals list. "He hit .400 three times," said Musial. But since Musial retired in 1963, he said, the best Cardinal he has seen is Pujols. "He has a lot of power," said Musial. "He can hit home runs over the right-field wall or the left-field wall or to center field. It doesn't matter. He'll have a lot of records." Pujols, for instance, could soar past Musial's 475 home runs as a Cardinal. But one mark he or anyone else isn't likely to match is Musial's achievement of having 1,815 hits on the road and 1,815 hits at home. "That's impressive," said Pujols, smiling. "I wonder if he meant to do that.""Well, I got two hits at home in my last game," said Musial, also smiling. As they sat together, holding one of Pujols' bats, they agreed that they had used the same length of bat (34½ inches) and the same weight (33 ounces) at one time; but Pujols, in deference to the occasional flare-up of his left elbow problem, has dropped to 32 ounces this year. "I don't like the bat to be too heavy," said Pujols. "I'm looking for more balance." About the only difference in their bats was that Pujols' is cupped at the end and Musial's wasn't. But there was a considerable difference in the two men's playing weights. Musial, flexing Pujols' right arm, asked Pujols what he weighed, and Pujols responded, "240 pounds. What did you weigh?" The Man answered, "About 175 pounds." Musial's corkscrew stance was and is unique in the game. "I don't think I've got the strength to do that," said Pujols. In turn, Musial admires Pujols' wide stance. "His left foot doesn't leave its mark," said Musial. "He doesn't overstride." Trying to take advantage of the rare meeting with Musial, Pujols asked Stan what his approach with two strikes in the count was. "What I try to do is let the ball get deep as much as I can," said Pujols. "Do you have anything to help me out?" Musial replied, simply, "Know the strike zone." But, Pujols then asked, "What if you have a bad umpire?" Musial had a quick retort. "If they called a bad strike on me, I would give him a mean look," said Musial, who really doesn't have a mean look. Although Pujols told Musial that manager Tony La Russa sometimes chided Pujols for not swinging at more first pitches, Musial and Pujols agreed that on their first at-bat in a game, they liked to work long counts. "I didn't like to swing at the first pitch," said Musial. "I liked to see what the pitcher was throwing." And Pujols said to Musial, "If I can see six or seven pitches in an at-bat, that's good. Let's say a guy has a good change-up or a good breaking ball. Now I have an idea of what he'll throw when men are in scoring position. I know how the breaking ball moves, and I know how the change-up breaks. So he can't trick me later on." But Pujols acknowledged, "I may only get one pitch to hit in a game." Ever the Cardinals fan, Musial asked Pujols about his contract status. "A couple of more years," said Pujols, referring to the expiration (with the option) of his contract in 2011. "Can I borrow a couple of hundred thousand?" cracked Musial. At this, Pujols laughed and said, "I know you would pay me back. Don't you wish you were playing in this era?" Musial said, "Oh, yeah. I spent 22 years in the big leagues, and all the salaries I got through the years combined was $1,250,000." "Wow," said Pujols. "For all those years? My Lord. Believe me, if you were playing in this era, you would probably make that in one day." Musial, upon hearing that Pujols lived reasonably near Spirit of St. Louis Airport, said, "Do you fly your own plane?" "Not yet," said Pujols. "I don't think the contract allows that." A golfer himself at one time, Musial asked if Pujols played, and the latter answered that he was a 10-handicap. Musial announced that he was a 3-handicap. "Three?" said Pujols, incredulously. "Yeah," said Musial. "Woods, irons and putter." Pujols roared. "That's a good one," he said. "I'm going to steal that from you." At this point, Pujols was about to take his leave to get ready for the game that night. "Thank you for taking the time," Pujols said, sincerely, to Musial. Was it only coincidence that Pujols would hit two home runs that night after sharing a bat and advice with Musial? Maybe not. "Next time, you come around, I want to talk hitting," said Pujols. "I want to pick your brain." Musial said, "You ever talk to Red Schoendienst?" "I talk to him a lot in the clubhouse," said Pujols, "and he said, 'I'm not anything. You need to talk to The Man. He's the one you need to talk to.'" Musial clearly enjoyed the visit of batting kings from different eras but with so many similarities. "You know what Pujols does when he sees me?" said Musial. "He did it, when he first came up as a rookie. When he sees me, he gives me a hug and a kiss on my forehead."Said Pujols, "He's the man."

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