Cardinals: Comparing Albert Pujols to other elite MLB players through 480 games

Albert Pujols (5) signs autographs prior to his first game back at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Albert Pujols (5) signs autographs prior to his first game back at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Comparing St. Louis Cardinals legend Albert Pujols’ stat to other elite MLB players through 480 games. Spoiler: Pujols is in a class of his own.

When Albert Pujols retires, the St. Louis Cardinals legend is a lock for the Hall of Fame. It’s quite possible that he will be a first ballot entrant when he eventually becomes eligible, with it appearing likely that he will retire after the 2022 regular season.

But how does he stack up against some of baseball’s most prominent stars? Hector Gomez tallied the numbers from his first 480 games and compared them to Manny Ramirez, Juan Soto, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Cabrera. The results were eye-opening.

Albert Pujols: .334 average, 117 home runs, 389 RBI, 225 walks, 228 strikeouts, 413 OBP, .616 SLG, 1.029 OPS.

Manny Ramirez: .301 average, 96 home runs, 334 RBI, 241 walks, 349 strikeouts, .389 OBP, .549 SLG, .938 OPS.

Juan Soto: .300 average, 101 home runs, 315 RBI, 389 walks, 361 strikeouts, .432 OBP, .548 SLG, .980 OPS.

Alex Rodriguez: .312 average, 100 home runs, 330 RBI, 146 walks, 362 strikeouts, .364 OBP, .543 SLG, .907 OPS.

Miguel Cabrera: .307 average, 90 home runs, 342 RBI, 203 walks, 406 strikeouts, .378 OBP, .531 SLG, .908 OPS.

All of them are great players, but it is striking how much better Pujols’ numbers are than everyone else’s at this stage of their respective careers. It’s also a great reminder of just how dominant Pujols was in his prime. Just take a look at his career accolades: three MVPs, Rookie of the Year, 10-time All-Star, two-time World Series Champion, two-time Gold Glover, six-time Silver Slugger, Batting Title, NLCS MVP and three-time ML POY.

That’s a Hall of Fame resume. While he may not be that same player anymore, he’s still an impact player for the Cardinals against left-handers and soft-tossing right-handers. But it’s another reminder of just how dominant, and special, his run with Yadier Molina and others was for the first 11 seasons of his tenure in St. Louis.

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