How Good Is He?

For the record, I am not a St. Louis Cardinals fan. I am from Chicago, and I am a White Sox fan. For the record Frank Thomas is my favorite baseball player of all-time. For the record I used to think that Barry Bonds was, hands down, the best baseball player to play the game. That last one is fading pretty quickly. Quite frankly, Albert Pujols is as good a baseball player as I have ever seen. I know that isn't saying much considering I am 20 years old, but I follow baseball more closely than most people follow their religion, and he is good. He is better than good, actually. He is amazing. It seems like you can't get the guy out. It seems like he never goes into a slump (I never have seen him go into one at least, unless you call an 0 for 8 run a slump, which for him it is). I was watching a Cardinals game earlier this season, and the only way Pujols got out in that game was the fact that he was unlucky. He hit a rocket right at Left Fielder Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies, and he hit an absolute missile of a ground ball right at Short Stop Jimmy Rollins. If the ball hit at Rollins was two feet to the right or left, it would have been a single for sure. Yesterday Pujols hit three homers to help the Cardinals defeat the Reds. He added another in tonight's game against the Pirates. That gives him 9 homers in a mere 13 games, he also has 19 RBI to start the season off. Not to mention, on top of all those great stats, and the incredible career he has had so far (200+ homers, just under 1,000 hits, roughly a .325 career batting average, and over a 100 RBI's in every one of his major league seasons), he is only 26 years old. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is on pace to break Hank Aaron's career home run record, Pujols is on pace to beat Alex Rodriguez. It could be a mind-boggling feat for baseball and it's fans. To have a guy break the greatest record in baseball, and then have it be broken 3-4 years after that. The only thing that can stop Pujols now is injuries.

Albert Pujols has reached a level in my mind. A level that my beloved Frank Thomas was at. A level that one of my other favorite players, Ken Griffey Jr. was at. A level that Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez are at. That level is that of a baseball player who is so young, but has had so much success that they seem to be the best there ever was. Frank Thomas once looked like that, and injuries got him. Injuries ruined the second half of his career. Griffey was like that too, and then he got hurt five straight years in Cincinnati. So much like those players, that is the only thing that can stop Albert Pujols, as well as Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez. Injuries can cost players records. And I hope they don't happen to any of these guys. But sometimes I think it is necessary to step back at look at the big picture. Ken Griffey Jr. was on pace for about 800 career home runs, and then injuries got him. He can still get to 600, and I think he will, but it would take an amazing run out of Griffey to catch Hank Aaron now. Pujols still needs 500+ home runs to catch him, Alex Rodriguez needs 300+. Those are careers (and good careers) for a lot of baseball players. You can't just give these guys records and say they will get there. Give Pujols his credit, and don't push him off as someone who will break Aaron's record. Enjoy his career, enjoy his run, because we never know when someone's star will fade out.

Publish Date: April 17 in the Missourian. Sports section front page.