The bigger Albert Pujols question: What do we do with Hall of Famers at the end?
3 years, 10 months ago

The bigger Albert Pujols question: What do we do with Hall of Famers at the end?

New York Times  

When the Angels released Albert Pujols last week, the best hitter of his generation saw his career likely end not with a bang, but with a whimper. So far, none of the other 29 MLB teams have outwardly expressed interest in the 41-year-old first baseman and designated hitter, even though he’s already hit five home runs this year and boasts 667 homers in his career. The Angels could have continued to trot Pujols out there as he attempted to reach 700 home runs in the final season of his mammoth 10-year contract. Maybe if Pujols had been closer to the player he was during the first 11 years of his career in St. Louis, the Angels would have given him a victory lap in his final season. Angels general manager Perry Minasian’s decision to cut Pujols raises a bigger question that has ramifications around all of MLB: What are we supposed to do with Hall of Famers at the end?

Career Team Runs End Jones Season Mlb Hall Rivera His Career Final Angels Orioles Seasons Played Jeter Hall Of Famer His Final Season Pujols  question  pujols  final  teams  albert  angels  played  end  famers  bigger  season  runs  team  career  seasons  hall

History of this topic

Albert Pujols, in Angels camp as guest instructor, aspires to different title: Manager
1 year ago

Albert Pujols, in Angels camp as guest instructor, aspires to different title: Manager

LA Times  

Albert Pujols reported to Angels camp on Monday for a weeklong stint as a guest instructor, fulfilling one of the obligations of the former slugger’s 10-year, $10-million personal services contract with owner Arte Moreno. If the opportunity is right one day, I think I’ll be ready for that.” Pujols, 44, retired in 2022 after a 22-year career in which he …

Albert Pujols remains as Angels special assistant despite new MLB roles, team says
1 year, 9 months ago

Albert Pujols remains as Angels special assistant despite new MLB roles, team says

LA Times  

Former MLB star Albert Pujols will work as a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred and serve as an analyst on MLB Network. Already a special assistant to the Angels under his 10-year personal services contract with the team, Pujols has been named a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred and also will serve as an on-air analyst for MLB …

Retired Albert Pujols happy to begin new role with Angels
2 years, 1 month ago

Retired Albert Pujols happy to begin new role with Angels

LA Times  

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals hits his 700th career home run against the Dodgers on Sept. 23, 2022, at Dodger Stadium. “It’s good just to be around, put the uniform back on and helping the young kids in the cage,” Pujols said Wednesday of his first day at camp. “It’s fun,” he said, “because you realize all the …

Angels reveal roles Albert Pujols will fulfill under personal-services contract
2 years, 4 months ago

Angels reveal roles Albert Pujols will fulfill under personal-services contract

LA Times  

Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols celebrates after hitting his 700th career home run Sept. 23 against the Dodgers. Albert Pujols will work with young players at the Angels’ academy in the Dominican Republic and tutor big leaguers and minor leaguers during spring training in Arizona as part of the retired slugger’s 10-year, $10-million personal-services contract with the team, club president …

Albert Pujols’ personal-services contract: What it means for Angels and Cardinals
2 years, 4 months ago

Albert Pujols’ personal-services contract: What it means for Angels and Cardinals

LA Times  

St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols smiles during batting practice in October. From a legal standpoint, the definition of a personal-services contract is “any agreement for somebody to perform services for an employer or an organization for a period of time,” said Todd Scherwin, regional managing partner of the Los Angeles office of Fisher & Phillips law firm. However, the …

Albert Pujols intends to honor his 10-year personal-services contract with Angels
2 years, 5 months ago

Albert Pujols intends to honor his 10-year personal-services contract with Angels

LA Times  

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, who played in his final game Saturday night, intends to fulfill his 10-year, $10-million personal-services contract with the Angels. Albert Pujols plans to honor his 10-year, $10-million personal-services contract with the Angels despite owner Arte Moreno’s intentions of selling the team and the disappointing end to the slugger’s nine-plus-year tenure in Anaheim. “He’s excited …

Cards’ Pujols hits 700th home run, 4th player to reach mark
2 years, 6 months ago

Cards’ Pujols hits 700th home run, 4th player to reach mark

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — Albert Pujols seemed like a long shot in early August to reach 700 home runs, still more than a dozen swings from the hallowed mark and his power stroke all but gone. Pujols hit his 700th home run, connecting for his second drive of the game and becoming the fourth player in major league history to make …

Cards' Pujols hits 700th home run, 4th player to reach mark
2 years, 6 months ago

Cards' Pujols hits 700th home run, 4th player to reach mark

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols …

‘It’s pretty special.’ Albert Pujols reflects on joining the 700 home runs club
2 years, 6 months ago

‘It’s pretty special.’ Albert Pujols reflects on joining the 700 home runs club

LA Times  

Rushmore of major league sluggers gained a fourth chiseled face — this one with a dark, tightly cropped beard, a seemingly permanent scowl and a gold chain around its neck — when Albert Pujols clubbed the 700th home run of his Hall-of-Fame career during the Cardinals’ 11-0 win in Dodger Stadium on Friday night. “It’s a number that Babe and …

Albert Pujols' 700 home runs: the absurdity of Pujols' comeback season.
2 years, 6 months ago

Albert Pujols' 700 home runs: the absurdity of Pujols' comeback season.

Slate  

Albert Pujols is staging one of the greatest goodbyes in the history of sports. If he’d kept hitting 30 homers per year, something he’d done every season of his Major League career, he’d have gotten to 700 in 2019. By adjusted on-base plus slugging percentage, which indexes a player’s offensive contributions to the league average, Pujols never had a season …

Back to where it all started: Albert Pujols agrees to one-year Cardinals deal
2 years, 11 months ago

Back to where it all started: Albert Pujols agrees to one-year Cardinals deal

LA Times  

Then-Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols warms up before Game 5 of the NLDS against the San Francisco Giants in October. Albert Pujols is going back to where he launched his Hall of Fame-caliber career in 2001 — the St. Louis Cardinals. He hit.328 with 445 homers, 2,073 hits, 455 doubles, 1,329 RBIs and a 1.037 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with St. Louis, …

Tío Albert Pujols embraces role with the Dodgers, and his new family returns the love
3 years, 6 months ago

Tío Albert Pujols embraces role with the Dodgers, and his new family returns the love

LA Times  

Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols during a game against the Colorado Rockies on Aug. 29 at Dodger Stadium. “It’s become a big thing for our ballclub,” Pujols said, “and everybody has embraced it.” Pujols never considered himself a hugger before joining the Dodgers in May because he grew up in a place where people gave frequent hugs. It was Pujols’ …

Albert Pujols delivers for Dodgers in 8-2 win over the Angels
3 years, 7 months ago

Albert Pujols delivers for Dodgers in 8-2 win over the Angels

LA Times  

Albert Pujols, right, celebrates his two-run home run with Dodgers teammate AJ Pollock in the second inning Sunday against the Angels. Pujols hit a two-run home run in the second inning of the weekend’s Freeway Series rubber match, putting a rubber stamp on the Dodgers’ 8-2 win with a 418-foot blast halfway up the left-field pavilion. Though the future Hall …

What Dodgers fans can learn about Albert Pujols from his St. Louis Cardinals career
3 years, 9 months ago

What Dodgers fans can learn about Albert Pujols from his St. Louis Cardinals career

LA Times  

Derrick Goold has been covering the St. Louis Cardinals for 18 seasons for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, including the last eight seasons of Albert Pujols’career as a Cardinal, during which he had a front-row seat to not only one of the most ferocious primes in the sport’s history, but also to the future Hall of Famer’s gentle influence in the …

Albert Pujols disputes Angels’ stance that he didn’t want to be a bench player
3 years, 10 months ago

Albert Pujols disputes Angels’ stance that he didn’t want to be a bench player

LA Times  

MLB veteran Albert Pujols talks to the media for the first time since signing a contract with the Dodgers. Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols singles to center field driving in a run off Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner in the third inning at Dodger Stadium on Monday. “But it fit, and it felt normal.” It was Pujols’ first game …

Statistically speaking, Albert Pujols could do a number of things to help Dodgers
3 years, 10 months ago

Statistically speaking, Albert Pujols could do a number of things to help Dodgers

LA Times  

Albert Pujols steadied his hands, shimmied his back elbow, then struck a pose. It was Pujols’ 667th career home run and, at the time, fifth long ball through the 21st game of the season, representing a 38-homer pace if continued over the course of a 162-game campaign. Pujols soon cooled off, going three-for-23 in his next six games with no …

Dodgers to sign Albert Pujols, but Corey Seager fractures hand in win over Marlins
3 years, 10 months ago

Dodgers to sign Albert Pujols, but Corey Seager fractures hand in win over Marlins

LA Times  

The Dodgers are signing Albert Pujols, who cleared waivers Thursday after being released by the Angels. “Obviously, you don’t want to lose any player for an extended period of time.” Corey Seager reacts after being hit in the right hand by a pitch from Miami Marlins reliever Ross Detwiler in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 7-0 win Saturday night. …

Commentary: With Albert Pujols on Dodgers, one of baseball’s greats gets another title shot
3 years, 10 months ago

Commentary: With Albert Pujols on Dodgers, one of baseball’s greats gets another title shot

LA Times  

Albert Pujols, who was released by the Angels last week, has agreed to a deal with the Dodgers. When the Dodgers unveiled their latest stadium renovations last month, the club president proudly noted that pictures, posters and awards from the team’s storied past would delight fans wherever they walked. Dodgers Dodgers to sign Albert Pujols, but Corey Seager fractures hand …

Why the Dodgers signing Albert Pujols makes a lot of sense
3 years, 10 months ago

Why the Dodgers signing Albert Pujols makes a lot of sense

LA Times  

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols and center fielder Mike Trout stand together on the field before a game against the Texas Rangers last month. Dodgers Dodgers to sign Albert Pujols, but Corey Seager fractures hand in win over Marlins The Dodgers agreed to a contract with Albert Pujols for the rest of the season and then beat Miami 7-0, but …

Albert Pujols clears waivers, becomes a free agent
3 years, 10 months ago

Albert Pujols clears waivers, becomes a free agent

LA Times  

Albert Pujols has cleared waivers after being released by the Angels and is a free agent. Albert Pujols has cleared waivers and is now a free agent for the second time in his career, officially bringing his tenure with the Angels to an end. On May 5, Pujols was left out of the Angels’ lineup and informed that night by …

Shohei Ohtani a one-man highlight show in Angels’ loss to Astros
3 years, 10 months ago

Shohei Ohtani a one-man highlight show in Angels’ loss to Astros

LA Times  

Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers during the first inning of a 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Still, Ohtani said through his interpreter that playing in right field, something he did on occasion in the Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, was “a lot of fun.” After having to borrow Justin Upton’s glove the first time he played outfield …

Joe Maddon elaborates on Albert Pujols’ release: ‘I don’t mean for this to sound cold’
3 years, 10 months ago

Joe Maddon elaborates on Albert Pujols’ release: ‘I don’t mean for this to sound cold’

LA Times  

Joe Maddon, right, talks with Albert Pujols after being introduced as Angels manager in 2019. On the day the Angels’ position players assembled for the first time this spring, the wife of Albert Pujols started an Instagram post this way: “Today is the first day of the last season of one of the most remarkable careers in sports.” What appeared …

Joe Maddon disputes report that Albert Pujols was confrontational on day of release
3 years, 10 months ago

Joe Maddon disputes report that Albert Pujols was confrontational on day of release

LA Times  

Three days after Albert Pujols was designated for assignment by the Angels, a move that will ultimately lead to his release from the club, the future Hall of Famer was a topic of conversation again Sunday. A report published Sunday morning by USA Today claimed Pujols “was yelling” at Angels manager Joe Maddon and “blasting Maddon’s managerial skills” after he …

Mike Trout says he ‘broke down’ after hearing of Albert Pujols’ release
3 years, 10 months ago

Mike Trout says he ‘broke down’ after hearing of Albert Pujols’ release

LA Times  

Wednesday night was like any other for Mike Trout. He mentored me throughout my career so far.” Angels Albert Pujols’ greatness was evident from the start of his career Even before Albert Pujols played in his first major league game, Mark McGwire predicted that the younger slugger would be a Hall of Fame player. But once Trout returned to the …

Albert Pujols’ greatness was evident from the start of his career
3 years, 10 months ago

Albert Pujols’ greatness was evident from the start of his career

LA Times  

One of Albert Pujols’ career highlights came in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series, when he hit three home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Texas Rangers. “To me, it’s about the blinders,” McGwire said Thursday, after the 41-year-old Pujols was designated for assignment by the Angels in the final year of a 10-year, $240-million deal. “Just …

Commentary: Albert Pujols was not the star the Angels wanted him to be
3 years, 10 months ago

Commentary: Albert Pujols was not the star the Angels wanted him to be

LA Times  

Angels’ Albert Pujols waits in the dugout before the start of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 14, 2019. Mark Trumbo was the Angels’ best player in Pujols’ first month with the team, and then Mike Trout showed up. Walsh showed it last year, and on merit Pujols might have lost his job years ago had the …

Angels release future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols rather than bench him
3 years, 10 months ago

Angels release future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols rather than bench him

LA Times  

In the hours after the Angels’ loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, general manager Perry Minasian and team President John Carpino held a meeting with Albert Pujols. “This is more about playing time and who we have,” Minasian said Thursday before the Angels’ 8-3 loss to the Rays, adding: “Albert is not a bench player. “If he …

Rosenthal: Angels’ split with Albert Pujols was awkward, uncomfortable and necessary
3 years, 10 months ago

Rosenthal: Angels’ split with Albert Pujols was awkward, uncomfortable and necessary

New York Times  

When the Yankees released Álex Rodríguez in August 2016, they worked closely with him on his farewell, announcing the news on a Sunday, saying he would play his final game five days later and adding he would remain with the club as a special adviser and instructor. But Pujols’ departure from the Angels on Thursday, following a meeting the previous …

Angels’ Albert Pujols knows his legacy is ‘more than just baseball’
3 years, 11 months ago

Angels’ Albert Pujols knows his legacy is ‘more than just baseball’

LA Times  

Albert Pujols stood up from his locker and looked for a quiet place, slipping into a vacant office away from the Angels’ bustling clubhouse one morning this spring. “There’s more than just baseball,” Pujols said, intensity building in his voice during a video call with The Times. “We never wanted to take Albert for granted,” said former Cardinals and current …

Albert Pujols says he hasn’t decided if he’ll retire at end of season
4 years ago

Albert Pujols says he hasn’t decided if he’ll retire at end of season

LA Times  

Angels slugger Albert Pujols says he’s focused on the upcoming season and that he hasn’t decided when he’ll retire. “I think that decision will come at the end of the year,” he said, adding, “My mind is staying focused healthy and help this ball club try to win this year.” Pujols’ wife, Deidre, appeared to indicate in an Instagram post …

Jared Walsh poised to supplant Albert Pujols at first base for the Angels
4 years, 1 month ago

Jared Walsh poised to supplant Albert Pujols at first base for the Angels

LA Times  

Angels’ Jared Walsh looks on after hitting a three-run homerun against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 10 in Arlington, Texas. “He’s going to get a ton of opportunity to play first base,” Maddon said. “I think you’re going to see it carry over from what you saw last year.” Fangraphs projects Pujols to get 364 plate appearances this season. “It’s …

Albert Pujols passes Willie Mays on home run list as Angels beat Rangers
4 years, 6 months ago

Albert Pujols passes Willie Mays on home run list as Angels beat Rangers

LA Times  

Angels slugger Albert Pujols is greeted by third base coach Brian Butterfield after hitting a home run in the fifth inning of the Angels’ 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday. At the start of this week, Pujols snapped a streak of 93 plate appearances without a homer and tied Mays on the all-time career home run list when …

Do the Angels have a replacement for Albert Pujols in Jared Walsh?
4 years, 6 months ago

Do the Angels have a replacement for Albert Pujols in Jared Walsh?

LA Times  

Angels first baseman Jared Walsh celebrates with teammates after a win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday. Jared Walsh has been staking his claim as the Angels’ first baseman of the future with a blistering start to September, batting.389 with five homers and two doubles. Angels first baseman Jared Walsh jogs back to the dugout after hitting a three-run home …

Angels’ Albert Pujols hits 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for No. 5 all-time
4 years, 6 months ago

Angels’ Albert Pujols hits 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for No. 5 all-time

LA Times  

Angels slugger Albert Pujols points skyward as he crosses the plate after hitting a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. “I just said, ‘Finally!’ ” Pujols said after tying Willie Mays with his 660th homer on Sunday, a two-run shot in the eighth inning of the Angels’ 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field. When …

Albert Pujols won’t blame the pandemic if he doesn’t reach 700 homers with Angels
4 years, 7 months ago

Albert Pujols won’t blame the pandemic if he doesn’t reach 700 homers with Angels

LA Times  

Willie Mays was the best player of his generation. That’s the last thing I want to be.” Barack Obama waves after throwing out the first pitch to Albert Pujols at the 2009 All-Star Game. With one industry insider projecting expansion fees at $1.6 billion per team, two new teams could mean more than $100 million for each of the current …

Shohei Ohtani gets MRI test on pitching arm following dismal start in Angels loss
4 years, 7 months ago

Shohei Ohtani gets MRI test on pitching arm following dismal start in Angels loss

LA Times  

Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani made another early exit in the team’s 6-5 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. A grueling Sunday afternoon in which the Angels let another late-inning lead slip away in a 6-5, 11-inning loss to the Houston Astros ended with news that could puncture their playoff hopes in a pandemic-shortened season. “It’s tough because it’s …

Hernández: This could be perfect season for Albert Pujols
4 years, 8 months ago

Hernández: This could be perfect season for Albert Pujols

LA Times  

The Angels’ Albert Pujols, shown Monday at practice, is 40 and in the second-to-last season of his 10-year, $240-million contract. “I don’t think it’s disappointing at all,” Pujols said in a video conference hosted by the team. Even after I retire, I’m probably going to still have it because I think I have so much wisdom that I can continue …

Angels’ Albert Pujols hangs on as member of vanishing breed: .300 career hitters
5 years, 5 months ago

Angels’ Albert Pujols hangs on as member of vanishing breed: .300 career hitters

LA Times  

Albert Pujols was a hot-hitting and well-meaning St. Louis Cardinals rookie in late April 2001 when he approached his manager with a question that seemed preposterous at the time. “He came in and said, ‘Without Mark, I’ve got to hit for more power, right?’ ” former St. Louis manager Tony La Russa recalled. But if you start trying to hook …

Angels have three questions for next season: Pitching, pitching and who’s going to manage
6 years, 5 months ago

Angels have three questions for next season: Pitching, pitching and who’s going to manage

LA Times  

If his third offseason as Angels general manager was his finest, the challenges Billy Eppler will contend with in his fourth will make matching his earlier success difficult. He will have to reconstruct the team’s pitching staff and coordinate the rehabilitation process of two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who had elbow ligament-replacement surgery Monday. Even now that he has undergone the …

Albert Pujols joins 3,000 hit club, adding to latest chapter of Hall of Fame career
6 years, 10 months ago

Albert Pujols joins 3,000 hit club, adding to latest chapter of Hall of Fame career

LA Times  

Albert Pujols digs out his 3,000th career hit during a game against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday. “There are so many people,” he said, “if I start to thank them all we might be here until midnight or 2 o’clock in the morning.” Albert Pujols smiles from first base after getting his 3,000th hit. In the stands, several fans …

Angels slugger Albert Pujols joins the 600-homer club with a grand slam
7 years, 9 months ago

Angels slugger Albert Pujols joins the 600-homer club with a grand slam

LA Times  

Angels teammate Mike Trout congratulates Albert Pujols in the dugout after hitting his 600th career homer against the Twins at Angel Stadium, Saturday. Teammates congratulate Albert Pujols as he hits a grand slam for his 600th career homer against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium, Saturday. Teammates welcome Albert Pujols at home plate as he hits a grand slam for …

Angels plugged some holes in off-season, but how good they’ll be remains an open question
8 years, 1 month ago

Angels plugged some holes in off-season, but how good they’ll be remains an open question

LA Times  

The Angels should be better than they were last year. But the health of the pitching staff was the club’s downfall last season, and it would not be a surprise if the same was said this time next year. “I think it’s important to understand what history tells us, and history tells us we’re gonna use a number of starters,” …

Angels’ Albert Pujols sits out again
8 years, 9 months ago

Angels’ Albert Pujols sits out again

LA Times  

Albert Pujols is dealing with a strained left hamstring but the Angels believe the slugger can avoid going on the disabled list. Albert Pujols did not play for the second straight day Wednesday, the Angels confident he can avoid the disabled list but reticent to push the 36-year-old’s strained left hamstring. “When a player needs a day off,” Angels Manager …

Angels reach Albert Pujols on a personal level
13 years, 3 months ago

Angels reach Albert Pujols on a personal level

LA Times  

It was 5 a.m. Thursday in Dallas when the Angels, following five hours of negotiations on the final night of the winter meetings, closed a five-year, $77.5-million deal with pitcher C.J. Dipoto, not two months into his new job, heard words that would shock the baseball world: “Albert is ready to be an Angel.” Scott Servais, the Angels’ assistant general …

Angels reach 10-year deal with Albert Pujols
13 years, 3 months ago

Angels reach 10-year deal with Albert Pujols

LA Times  

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. Bridesmaids in so many of their recent winter pursuits, the Angels made the biggest free-agent splash in their team history Thursday morning when they reached an agreement with slugger Albert Pujols on a 10-year deal for at least $250 million. It appeared Pujols …

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