Photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images
The era of Albert Pujols with the uniform of Los Angeles Angels is over and his career in the Major League Baseball He possibly came to an end this Thursday after the Anaheim team thanked him by removing him from their roster.
The Dominican from 41 years that is the active player with the most hits (3, 240), home runs (667) and RBIs (2, 112) is out of work. The Angels’ decision to cut a titan like Albert Pujols was not necessarily difficult to make for sporting reasons and financial, but one that is uncomfortable after the first baseman and designated hitter wore the Angelina jacket by 10 years.
“The Angels organization proudly signed Albert Pujols in 2011, and we are honored that he has worn an Angels jersey for almost half of his Hall of Fame career , ”said Arte Moreno , the owner of the Angels, in a statement.
The # Angels announced today that the Club has designated Albert Pujols for assignment. pic.twitter.com/SCRz78 kXcf
– Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 6, 2021
“Albert Pujols’ historic achievements, both on and off the field, serve as an inspiration to athletes everywhere, and his Actions define what it means to be a true superstar. ”
However, while all of the above is true, it is also true that the achievements and countless records set by Pujols in recent years in Anaheim weren’t enough against the expectations of the team and its fans when the Dominican was signed with a mega-contract of 08 seasons and $ 253 million dollars.
Pujols, MLB’s highest hitting foreign player , did well in Anaheim, but failed to come close to glory as a prominent club figure and in fact he stayed all this time in the shadow of Mike Trout , with whom he could not form an epoch 1-2 that many would have imagined either.
The Albert Pujols of the Angels was far from being Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals who was simply the best hitter in the Major Leagues for a decade.
Although Pujols recorded his historic hit 3 with the Angels, 000, his home runs No. 500, 600 and more recently the 661 with which he passed Willie Mays in fifth place of all time , His impact on Southern California as a player was sadly low-key , and the only stat in which he led MLB all these years in Anaheim was in double hits. play.
The player who in St. Louis was a three-time winner of the “MVP” trophy and four times second place, with the Angels finishing highest in the voting it was in the place 17. This at the same time that in the playoffs only had a three-game series in which he hit. 167 (with the Cardinals played 15 very high-level playoff series and was World Series champion twice).
Perhaps there has never been a player whose career can more easily be separated into two parts like Pujols’: batting average of. 328, 445 home runs, 1, 329 RBI and 1, 037 of OPS in 11 seasons like Cardinal; . 256, 222 home runs , 783 RBI,. 758 OPS in 10 seasons as Angel.
It can even be said that Pujols’ great moments with the Angels had a greater impact in Missouri than in California , and his return to Busch Stadium in 2019 was one of the iconic moments of his tremendous career. That never stopped being their home.
The Angels must be recognized that they did not skimp on 2011 to bring what was then the biggest name in baseball to Southern California. But the investment did not pay enough dividends because the great Pujols, with all his greatness, spent more with an aura of disappointment than emotion before the public.