Cardinals legend Albert Pujols adds another milestone victory to managerial resume

Albert Pujols's managing career couldn't have started off any better than it has for the former St. Louis Cardinal.

Just a week after being crowned champions of the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM), Pujols and his team, Leones del Escogido, finished off the most successful winter baseball tour possible. The rookie manager led his team to a victory over the previously undefeated Charros de Jalisco of Mexico in the Caribbean Series.

In order to win the Dominican Winter League, the Lions had to sneak into the postseason with a 24-25 record following an eight-game losing streak in the month of December. Escogido won the final series of the LIDOM in seven games that included an electric game 7 on January 27th that involved a massive home run by Tampa Bay Rays Junior Caminero.

As a result of winning the Dominican Winter League, Leones del Escogido was invited to the Caribbean Series that took place in Mexico over the last week.

Pujols and Escogido drew their first game against Venezuela and won 2-0. Their next game was against Japan, and Leones soundly defeated Japan 12-1 on the backs of 15 hits and a shutout effort from former major leaguer Johnny Cueto through six innings.

Luck turned the other way for Leones del Escogido in the next two rounds, as they lost 2-0 to Mexico on Sunday, February 2nd, and had a 10-7 loss to Puerto Rico. Their 2-2 record in the Caribbean Series gave them a draw against Venezuela once again in the semifinals. Leones survived an 11-inning game to win 5-4 thanks to Socrates Brito's go-ahead double late in the game.

On the other end, Mexico remained undefeated in the tournament following a 3-1 win over Puerto Rico. This set the stage for a rematch between Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Republic and Charros de Jalisco of Mexico.

There were plenty of familiar names on both rosters including second baseman Robinson Cano and Socrates Brito for Albert Pujols and Escogido and Billy Hamilton and manager Benji Gil's son Mateo Gil for Charros de Jalisco. This was a matchup of Latin American powerhouses, and it wasn't going to disappoint.

Leones del Escogido won 1-0, and their pitching staff allowed only one hit all game. Esmil Rogers (six innings), Joe Corbett (one inning), Ulises Joaquin (one inning), and Jimmy Cordero (one inning) walked five batters, struck out eight, and gave up just one hit in their masterful performance. This was Cordero's second save in the Caribbean Series.

Robinson Cano of Escogido drove in his team's lone run in the top of the third inning against Manny Banuelos of Charros. Banuelos allowed three straight walks prior to Cano's RBI double-play groundout. Esmil Rogers was announced as the tournament's Most Valuable Player after allowing just one run in 12.2 innings of work through two starts.

In just a few short months, Albert Pujols already has a stellar managing track record.

So far as a manager, Albert Pujols has a 34-25 record in LIDOM, a 4-2 record in the Caribbean Series, two championships, is known as a "players' manager", and has a desire to manage in Major League Baseball. That's pretty impressive for a rookie manager regardless of the competition he and his squad faced.

The Cardinals aren't in an active search for a new manager, as president of baseball operations and team president and owner Bill DeWitt Jr. have both been outspoken about giving incumbent manager Oli Marmol another shot in 2025. However, if things derail quickly this year, Albert Pujols should be on the shortlist of replacements for Marmol. He's proven that he can handle the big stage at this point, and bringing back a former player of his stature would energize the fanbase to levels that haven't been seen since 2022.