With all due respect to the 143 or so other regular players in the National League in 2009, they were all really just competing for second place in the MVP voting behind Albert Pujols. The St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger won his third National League MVP award, winning previously in 2005 and 2008. He’ll be just 30 years old when the 2010 season starts – but is it already time to call Pujols one of the best ever?
Since breaking into the league in 2001, Pujols has reached 100+ RBI in each of his first nine seasons. The only other player to do so is Hall of Famer Al Simmons. Other nine-year trends for Pujols include batting average (never dropping below .300), home runs (30+ in each season), and strikeouts (he has never struck out 100 times in a season). He hits in the clutch as well – Pujols has a career .411 batting average with the bases loaded, including 11 grand slams and 147 RBI!
Perhaps most telling however is an “unofficial” award that Pujols appears on the verge of capturing – the “decade triple crown.” Despite spotting the rest of MLB the entire 2000 season, Pujols is poised to end the 2000s with the major league lead in batting average, home runs, and RBI, joining the elite company of Honus Wagner, Rogers Horsnby, and Ted Williams in achieving that honor.
So yes, I think it’s more than appropriate to call Pujols one of the best to ever play the game. His combination of batting average, power, and defense makes him almost the perfect player. He’s blown away the “first nine-year” statistics of Mays, Mantle, Aaron, and a host of other Hall of Famers. His decade triple crown would likely hold up even if he spotted everyone else 2010 as well!
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"Pujols captures third MVP: Is he among the best ever?"
Clearly he is. No doubt about it.
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