Pro Baseball Player

“Here’s this big, strong, good-looking kid just standing there smiling,
saying he wants to play beisbol.
It was like a gift from the baseball gods.”
Dave Fry, Albert Pujols’ coach at Fort Osage High School

Albert Pujols was one of the greatest players of all time in Major League Baseball. He left an impact on his home state in a way that few others will ever accomplish. Pujols moved up quickly within the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he gave fans a decade’s worth of high-caliber baseball that will be hard to emulate. His first years of Major League Baseball are some of the best of all time. His controversial decision to leave St. Louis left many fans in Missouri scorned. But the legacy and homecoming to the Show Me State will last for generations.

Early Years

Jose Alberto Pujols Alcantara was born on January 16, 1980 in the Dominican Republic. The country was a baseball-crazed environment where he learned the skills needed to succeed on fields around the city of Santo Domingo. His family moved the New York City early in his high school career. They moved again to Independence, Missouri where he completed his final two years at Fort Osage High School.

As a junior, Pujols was on the team that won the 1997 Class 4 State Championship over Francis Howell. He had a great year at the plate, but then came rumors that he may have been too old for high school. Many coaches in the Kansas City area refused to pitch to him. But when he did get a chance to bat, he made the most of it. Former players say that his high schools home runs were legendary as he made a big impact during his short time in Independence.

Rise to Fame

Pujols graduated a semester early in December of 1998 to start his college baseball career. He was offered a baseball scholarship at Maple Wood Community College in Kansas City, but only played there for one season. One year was good enough for Major League Baseball scouts to see that he was the real deal.

He was drafted in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and sent to their single-A team, the Peoria Chiefs. It took him very little time to rise through the ranks of the minor leagues. In fact, he worked his way onto the opening day roster for the Cardinals in 2001.

Show Me Success

Albert Pujols made an impact as a rookie that is rivaled by very few athletes in baseball history. He quickly worked his way into the starting lineup and played so well that he made the All-Star team in his first year in the Big Leagues. In that rookie season, he was also named the National League Rookie of the Year, The NL Silver Slugger for third base, and finished fourth in voting for the NL Most Valuable Players.

The rookie year for Pujols was certainly not a fluke. In fact, it was just the beginning. He have fans an amazing 10 years stretch in St. Louis that cemented his place in Cardinals baseball lore. He played in a total of 9 All-Star Games in his 10 years in St. Louis and led the team to the World Series championship in 2006 and 2011. Pujols was also named the National League MVP a total of three times, in 2005, 2008, and 2009. He also won the Gold Glove two times, the Silver Slugger award a total of six times, the National League batting champion twice and the home run title two times as well, in 2009 and 2010.

The Departure

Pujols left the Cardinals after the 2011 season for the Los Angeles Angels. But he never was able to recreate the success he had in the Missouri. Die-hard fans were upset that he left in the prime of his career, believing he left only for the money. Pujols denied those claims and said that the Cardinals only offered him a five-year deal, while the Angels offered a more secure 10-year contract.

Pujols’ Return to STL

After several productive years in California with the Angels and the Dodgers, Pujols returned to the Cardinals for his final year in Major League Baseball in 2022 at the age of 42. He was one of the oldest players in the league, but Pujols had an amazing final season with moments that were hard to believe. Pujols hit .270 in the final year with 24 home runs. He even hit a home run in his final regular season home game. He is one of the best players of all time and will eventually land in the Pro Baseball Hall of Fame.

Extra! Extra!

• Albert Pujols was the first Cardinals rookie since 1955 to make the All-Star Game.
• He was one of only four players to get 100 RBIs in each of his first five seasons.
• He is one of four players all time to have 3,000 hits and 600 home runs.
• 703 Home Runs: 4th all-time (behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth)
• 2,218 RBI: 3rd all-time
• 3,384 Hits: 10th all-time
• 1,914 Runs: 12th all-time