pujols never hit 50 homers in a season which seems weird to think about.
he came really close in 2006 though when he lost the MVP to.........................ryan howard
Pujols in that way is comparable to Hank Aaron - just metronomic excellence. Aaron of course provided his high level for considerably longer than Pujols, but at the same time, Pujols' 11 year run was at a higher level than Aaron's peak.
Frank Thomas really is the best comp for AP, but like Michael said, throw in excellent defense.
Y'all remember the years that Albert decided "hey, maybe I'll just also become a great runner, too, despite weighing 240 pounds?" For example, 2005: 16 stolen bases, two caught stealing. His baseball accumen is so unbelievably high, he could wait all season to pick those spots.
Completely off-subject, but one of the odd things that always gets me about baseball is that this guy stole 319 bases in his career, including a high of 56 in 1987.
I feel like we could create a whole separate thread on the lost art of the stolen base.
I'd love it if MLB changed the rules to emphasize stolen bases. For example, limit the number of times the pitcher can throw to 1B. Stolen bases are one of the most exciting plays in baseball and it has been completely buried in the modern game.
I feel like we could create a whole separate thread on the lost art of the stolen base.
I'd love it if MLB changed the rules to emphasize stolen bases. For example, limit the number of times the pitcher can throw to 1B. Stolen bases are one of the most exciting plays in baseball and it has been completely buried in the modern game.
I feel like we could create a whole separate thread on the lost art of the stolen base.
I'd love it if MLB changed the rules to emphasize stolen bases. For example, limit the number of times the pitcher can throw to 1B. Stolen bases are one of the most exciting plays in baseball and it has been completely buried in the modern game.
I feel like we could create a whole separate thread on the lost art of the stolen base.
I'd love it if MLB changed the rules to emphasize stolen bases. For example, limit the number of times the pitcher can throw to 1B. Stolen bases are one of the most exciting plays in baseball and it has been completely buried in the modern game.
Agreed. There isn't much better than a guy stealing 2nd, then turning around and stealing 3rd on the next pitch. Stealing 3rd in general is such an exciting play, which we hardly see anymore other than when the pitcher is completely napping. When guys like Vince would get out there, and the pitcher *knew* that he was going to take 2nd and then take 3rd, and still couldn't do anything about it - just a thing of beauty.