Albert Pujols

[oldroundballer]

Albert currently has a WAR of -1.99. That ranks dead last of all major league players. He could be the first player to end a year ranked both first and last. The Angles are paying him $26,000,000 to be the worst player in baseball. He still has 4 more years on his deal that will pay him $27M, $28M, $29M, and $30M. The Cards paid him $104M over 11 years and got an average WAR of 7.8. The Angels have paid him $126M over 6 years for an avg WAR of 2.1. It's hard to fathom how bad of a deal that is for the Angels. Albert was the best player in the game when we watched. Its kind of startling that he's fell so far.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/feature...rst-player-in-baseball/?addata=espn:frontpage

 

[Neutron Monster]

Maybe he really is older than his stated age.

And, pretty clearly, he's not on the juice.

 

[Duck_walk]

He has been injured from day one in Cali..
He can barely move at all.

 

[Bluejaypureblood]

One of the most feared hitters of this generation. He is a shell of the "Machine" he was but I'd still prefer him hitting in any situation that Grichuk. I know I need to let it go with the guy but its really irritating. If you're going to swing and miss that much you need to be hitting at least 45+ bombs a year.

 

[Duck_walk]

One of the most feared hitters of this generation. He is a shell of the "Machine" he was but I'd still prefer him hitting in any situation that Grichuk. I know I need to let it go with the guy but its really irritating. If you're going to swing and miss that much you need to be hitting at least 45+ bombs a year.

Exactly. He is not even Dave Kingman.
That dude was good for 38-42 bombs and 85 RBI. But was considered a bad player.

 

[Neutron Monster]

One of the most feared hitters of this generation. He is a shell of the "Machine" he was but I'd still prefer him hitting in any situation that Grichuk. I know I need to let it go with the guy but its really irritating. If you're going to swing and miss that much you need to be hitting at least 45+ bombs a year.

with all due respect that ignores how toasty pujols is. Grichuk is clearly the better hitter right now. Which is a terribly sad statement.

A nonzero part of it is that pujols can hardly move. The value of contact is lessened when you take about 7 minutes to get to first base. The guy has only 13 doubles this year because he can't leg them out anymore. And he hits into a ton of double plays.

Grichuk hits a lot more doubles because he can leg them out.

 

[Bluejaypureblood]

with all due respect that ignores how toasty pujols is. Grichuk is clearly the better hitter right now. Which is a terribly sad statement.

A nonzero part of it is that pujols can hardly move. The value of contact is lessened when you take about 7 minutes to get to first base. The guy has only 13 doubles this year because he can't leg them out anymore. And he hits into a ton of double plays.

Grichuk hits a lot more doubles because he can leg them out.

That is what irritates me even more I believe, Grichuk is barely better than a guy that can literally hardly get to first on a gapper anymore. i would hope Grichuk would have more doubles as he is quite a bit younger. Albert is a rare, very rare type of player and I am not making a notion that I think our farm system should continually pump out players like Albert. We have talented guys that swing and miss at terrible pitches constantly, maybe it is a lack of discipline from coaches and the player. Grichuk has tremendous upside, maybe that is what my frustration with him stems from, I dunno. Wish him the best of luck because even though he is a pro, coaching still matters.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

That is what irritates me even more I believe, Grichuk is barely better than a guy that can literally hardly get to first on a gapper anymore.

Yet he still plays over JMart. Inexplicable.

 

[Duck_walk]

Albert hit two bombs last night. Maybe he has one more post season in him?????

 

[Eagles_Ball]

Albert hit two bombs last night. Maybe he has one more post season in him?????

I hope not. Loved him when he was here. Loved that the Birds didn't sign him. Hated his fake reason for leaving. Loved that he has played in near obscurity in LA.

 

[oldroundballer]

I hope not. Loved him when he was here. Loved that the Birds didn't sign him. Hated his fake reason for leaving. Loved that he has played in near obscurity in LA.

Ditto. Albert was head towards becoming the next Stan the Man in St. Louis. They offered him a very reasonable deal. He could have been a Card for life and still had more money then he could spend. But in the end more money was the most important thing to him. Who is going to love him after his playing days now? He hasn't been involved in much Angel success. I can't imagine Cali folks caring much about him in the future. Will Cards fans welcome him back 5 years from now, 10 years? Maybe, but I'm not sure. He was the best player many of us have ever seen in a Card uniform. Too bad he left us with such a bad taste.

 

[you_dont_know_me]

I'd love to see him back in Redbird Red... that being said...it better be LA eating most of that salary....and I'm pretty sure cardinal nation would welcome him back with open arms

 

[Duck_walk]

The Cardinals should have torn up his deal three years before he left and given him a salary more appropriate for his contribution.
They didnt and thats why he left instead of giving a hometown discount. He had already given them the discount. You people are haters. He could have been with us for 3-4 more solid seasons without having to have a 10 year deal if the cardinals had done it right.
Typical BFIB rationalize everything the front office does. How many WS have we won in the last 35 years without him? Sad.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

I'd love to see him back in Redbird Red... that being said...it better be LA eating most of that salary....and I'm pretty sure cardinal nation would welcome him back with open arms

Heeelllllllll nah! Not even if the Angels paid every dollar of his deal that remains.

And the BFIBs probably would. Because that's what a BFIB does. Actual fans, probably not.

 

[you_dont_know_me]

Heeelllllllll nah! Not even if the Angels paid every dollar of his deal that remains.

And the BFIBs probably would. Because that's what a BFIB does. Actual fans, probably not.

He left, bummer, but we made the right decision. Would be nice to have a power bat...may even give him a resurgence being back in stl?

 

[Neutron Monster]

I hope not. Loved him when he was here. Loved that the Birds didn't sign him. Hated his fake reason for leaving. Loved that he has played in near obscurity in LA.

I'd like him to have one final big run. I don't blame him for taking the cash. It's sad to watch this. I'd love for him to get hot and have one more good season.

A lot of it just seems like injury stuff. Hopefully he can get a little healthier.

 

[Neutron Monster]

I'd love to see him back in Redbird Red... that being said...it better be LA eating most of that salary....and I'm pretty sure cardinal nation would welcome him back with open arms

He's not worth a spot on the 25 man roster right now even if LA is paying 100% of his salary. You cannot put him in the field.

 

[Neutron Monster]

He left, bummer, but we made the right decision. Would be nice to have a power bat...may even give him a resurgence being back in stl?

Pujols isn't a real power bat anymore. Kolten Wong is out slugging him. The Cards can construct an 8 man lineup of players who are all outslugging him:

Carp at 1B
Wong at 2B
DeJong at SS (Heck, Diaz even was)
Gyorko at 3B
Any of Fowler/Grichuk/Pham/Martinez in the OF
Yadi at C

 

[Neutron Monster]

The Cardinals should have torn up his deal three years before he left and given him a salary more appropriate for his contribution.
They didnt and thats why he left instead of giving a hometown discount. He had already given them the discount. You people are haters. He could have been with us for 3-4 more solid seasons without having to have a 10 year deal if the cardinals had done it right.
Typical BFIB rationalize everything the front office does. How many WS have we won in the last 35 years without him? Sad.

I agree I wouldn't mind having done this, but I also have to acknowledge his decline didn't just happen in 2017. He started declining in 2010. He was clearly in decline in 2011. The only season he had in LA that you'd want to have had in a Cards uni was 2012. He was nothing special 2013 on. He hasn't slugged .500 or posted a .340 OBP since 2012. And he's been absolutely dreadful in the field.

I think his body just gave out on him. He makes Yadi look like an Olympic sprinter.

The Cards timed it perfectly.

 

[3Rfan]

I'd like him to have one final big run. I don't blame him for taking the cash. It's sad to watch this. I'd love for him to get hot and have one more good season.

A lot of it just seems like injury stuff. Hopefully he can get a little healthier.

You don't blame him for taking the cash? HE is the one that said "it's not about the money" when we ALL know better. How much money does a person need? He made a LOT of money, and was probably very well invested, before he left St. Louis. He could have stayed for a less and been The MAN of Cardinal baseball for the rest of his life to anyone under 50 or 60 years old.

 

[Neutron Monster]

You don't blame him for taking the cash? HE is the one that said "it's not about the money" when we ALL know better. How much money does a person need? He made a LOT of money, and was probably very well invested, before he left St. Louis. He could have stayed for a less and been The MAN of Cardinal baseball for the rest of his life to anyone under 50 or 60 years old.

It's almost always about the money. I wouldn't turn down another 50 M or whatever. Plus the opportunity to DH

 

[3Rfan]

It's almost always about the money. I wouldn't turn down another 50 M or whatever. Plus the opportunity to DH

Be cause he needed the money so bad? If you're already extremely wealthy why not think about your legacy?

 

[Neutron Monster]

Be cause he needed the money so bad? If you're already extremely wealthy why not think about your legacy?

It's very easy to say this when you're not turning down the money

Plus from a legacy standpoint he could argue that he could play longer in the AL

 

[wccards21]

Be cause he needed the money so bad? If you're already extremely wealthy why not think about your legacy?

An extra 50 million is worth much more than thoughts of people in STL.

 

[Eagles_Ball]

An extra 50 million is worth much more than thoughts of people in STL.

I could easily have respected him if he went the ARod route and just said "I'm going to try to become the highest paid player ever." At the time, obviously. It's the fake nature that got me. But, tbh, he was plenty fake before that.

None of that diminishes what he did as a player in a Birds uni. I just can't stand the fake BS from athletes. Take Tiger for instance. Loved him. Then when he got caught hanging and banging, no biggie. Just come out and say I'm a dog and this is what I do. Instead, he attempted to become some fake PC machine. Just be you man. It's refreshing. I miss the personalities in pro athletes. Daly, Kirk, Shaq, and Chuck types. Need more of those just being themselves.

 

[wccards21]

I could easily have respected him if he went the ARod route and just said "I'm going to try to become the highest paid player ever." At the time, obviously. It's the fake nature that got me. But, tbh, he was plenty fake before that.

None of that diminishes what he did as a player in a Birds uni. I just can't stand the fake BS from athletes. Take Tiger for instance. Loved him. Then when he got caught hanging and banging, no biggie. Just come out and say I'm a dog and this is what I do. Instead, he attempted to become some fake PC machine. Just be you man. It's refreshing. I miss the personalities in pro athletes. Daly, Kirk, Shaq, and Chuck types. Need more of those just being themselves.

I get that completely. I just think that was his only option rather than just saying publicly to your FO "quit F'ing me over. Pay me fairly "

 

[Neutron Monster]

Why not just say I was underpaid for the last ten years and this is my one chance to get full value for me and my family.

 

[wccards21]

Why not just say I was underpaid for the last ten years and this is my one chance to get full value for me and my family.

Everyone is looking out for their own PR. It backfired on him. Calculated chance he took.....and still makes more than all of us combined..... in 10 lifetimes