Albert Pujols, 1B, St Louis Cardinals
Albert Pujols is the thinking mans slugger. The more you watch this guy hit the more you marvel at just how good he is. Everything you would ever teach someone about hitting is embodied in Albert Pujols. He’s quiet in the box, nicely balanced, in a great position to see the ball and when he gets something phat his hands just explode straight to the ball with a sweet swing that looks more like a lefty swing than a righty (left handed batters are sexy and you know it!) and his head never comes off the ball.
The greatest attribute he has is his ability to make adjustments. If you get him out one way you should just thank your lucky stars and go to something different because if you go there again he will punish you.
Further adding to his resumé as a perfect role model for prospective ball players is his impressive work rate. Since he started playing for the Cardinals he has played a few different positions before landing at first and the rate of improvement has been dramatic as he’s gone from being a bit suspect to looking like he could conceivably win a Gold Glove some day.
You should have known that he would be a grafter after being picked in the 13th round (unlucky for the teams that picked 401 guys ahead of him) and making it to the Majors two years after being drafted. He even steals bases now. What’s he going to let out of the bag next year? What else id there for him to excel at?
On top of all the performance and the great numbers he is one of the most affable guys in baseball who constantly deflects attention away from himself and is always quick to credit any success he has to the work of the guys around him. This is a true leader and the very definition of what a franchise player should be. Just oozes class all over and MLB should market the game around him as much as they can.
No comments:
Post a Comment