Pujols ahead of the greats at age 30

[cruzg24]

[ST. LOUIS -- First he was a prospect, then a rising star. For a while, the descriptions came with a qualifier: "one of the best young players in the game." The past few years, Albert Pujols has outgrown any qualifiers for his greatness. Today, he officially dispenses with that description as a young player.

Pujols is turning 30.

Just as the All-Star break marks an unofficial midway point in the season, the 30th birthday is a sort of marker in a player's career. It's not that Pujols will necessarily double his career stats between now and when he hangs it up. But it's certainly a line of demarcation.

And whatever expectations Pujols may have had when he was a youngster for what he would accomplish by age 30 have surely been surpassed.

He's the game's best player and, in many corners, the public face of baseball. He's a three-time Most Valuable Player and a Clemente Award winner. He may soon be in line for a historic contract, and he's done everything while still in his 20s.

For what it's worth, the Cardinals obviously believe that the early 30s are no indicator of a slowdown. They just committed seven years and at least $120 million to Pujols' fellow middle-of-the-order thumper, Matt Holliday. In an odd coincidence, Holliday was born exactly one day before Pujols.

If Pujols even comes close to matching what he's already done, he's headed for the Hall of Fame. He's actually not yet eligible, though he will be at the end of this year. A player must play for 10 seasons to appear on a Hall of Fame ballot.

This will be Pujols' 10th big league campaign, and it might be the last remaining obstacle between him and Cooperstown. A lot can happen, of course -- but a lot would have to happen for Pujols' 30s to keep him out of the Hall.


AMONG THE BEST
A look at how Albert Pujols' career stats at 30 compare to those of MLB's legends.
Player 30th birthday Games H HR RBIs AVG OBP SLG
Babe Ruth 2/6/25 1,100 1,251 284 889 .351 .482 .712
Jimmie Foxx 10/22/37 1,561 1852 379 1,345 .334 .435 .628
Hank Greenberg 1/1/41 1,029 1,281 247 1,003 .326 .418 .625
Joe DiMaggio 11/25/44 979 1349 219 930 .339 .403 .607
Ted Williams* 8/30/48 N/A 1,251 220 854 .354 .487 .645
Willie Mays 5/6/61 1,238 1,506 285 828 .317 .390 .586
Hank Aaron 2/5/64 1,511 1,898 342 1,121 .320 .375 .572
Barry Bonds 7/24/94 1,264 1,265 253 747 .284 .392 .534
Alex Rodriguez 7/27/05 1,528 1,825 409 1,176 .306 .384 .575
Albert Pujols 1/16/10 1,399 1,717 366 1,112 .334 .427 .628
* Day-by-day game totals unavailable in 1948 and prior, but since the birthdays for Ruth, Foxx, Greenberg and DiMaggio were all during offseason, complete age

"There's three things that as a professional athlete you want," Pujols said when he was named the 2009 MVP. "You want to get to the big leagues, and I accomplished that. Winning a World Series ring, I got that. And then getting to the Hall of Fame. That's everybody's dream. Every athlete, they want to be up there in the Hall of Fame, mentioned with the greatest players to ever play this game."

His age-30 numbers unquestionably put him in that class. Pujols has more home runs at 30 than Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays or Barry Bonds could manage. His career on-base percentage and slugging percentage surpass those of Joe DiMaggio, Bonds, Mays and even Alex Rodriguez.

And of course, Aaron, Ruth and Mays aren't just Hall of Famers. They're inner-circle guys, the elite among the elite.

"I don't like to compare myself with any of those guys," Pujols said late in the season when asked about taking his place in history. "I respect those guys and what they did, what they accomplished. Don't get me wrong. I'm blessed to be named in the same category as those guys. But those guys are Hall of Famers and they deserve every respect."

So settle in, because there's a lot of good stuff still to come.

Source: mlb.com

Damn Pujols is up there in every stat, that is incredible.

 

[jarrod2323]

yep - take notice as he's by far an "elite" player

 

[Mexi]

you know whats crazy?
he's younger than Ryan Howard lol


but still, i dont think Pujols will age well in the NL.

 

[snipezo]

you know whats crazy?
he's younger than Ryan Howard lol

He looks so old lol.

 

[Mexi]

yeah
some have questioned his age like they do with all Dominicans, but he says he aged so fast because he was taking care of his siblings at such a young age

he said in HS they didnt believe he was truly 16 or 17

 

[cruzg24]

I trully hope Albert Pujols breaks those HR records, that would be very nice.

 

[Yankees2772]

Mexi, he's playing 1st... He'll be just fine.

 

[STLZACH]

I really really hate his arrogance. Well, more like I hate his blantantly obvious fake-modesty.