Dominican-born professional baseball player Albert Pujols Since his MLB debut, Albert Pujols has been hailed as one of the game’s best hitters and most reliable players. Albert has earned two World Series rings, the National League MVP award three times, and ten All-Star honours.
Albert Pujols Early Life
The Dominican Republic-born Pujols was born on January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo. His grandma, uncles, and aunts were the primary caregivers for him. Bienvenido Pujols, his father, was a softball player who also had drinking issues. When Albert was a kid, he used limes as baseballs and a milk carton as a glove to practise baseball. The family moved to New York City in 1996, where he was raised by his father and grandmother. Pujols witnessed a convenience store shooting shortly after landing in Independence, Missouri, which prompted the family to migrate there.
During his time at Fort Osage High School, Albert was twice selected an All-State athlete in baseball. As a senior, teams walked him 55 times because they were afraid of his power. Pujols finished from high school one semester early and received a scholarship to attend Maple Woods Community College. He entered the Major League Baseball draught after finishing his freshman season with a batting average of.461.
Albert Pujols MLB Career
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The St. Louis Cardinals selected Albert as the 402nd overall pick in the 1999 MLB draught. He signed with the Cardinals for a $60,000 signing bonus and spent a season with their minor league squad. Albert was promoted to the Cardinals’ major league roster in 2001. With 37 home runs, he was voted the National League Rookie of the Year during his first season. Despite being knocked out in the first round, the Cardinals qualified for the playoffs.
During the 2002 season, Pujols ranked in the top ten in every major batting metric in the National League. In his first two seasons, he hit over.300 with at least 30 home runs, 100 RBI, and 100 runs scored, becoming the first player in big league history to accomplish this feat. He came in second place in the league MVP voting. However, the team lost to the San Francisco Giants in the 2002 NLCS.
Albert was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2003, and he would go on to appear in eight more over his career. In the voting for the league’s MVP, Pujols came in second once more. He hit 114 home runs that season, tying him with Ralph Kiner for the most in their first three seasons. Albert extended his contract for an additional seven years in 2004 for an additional $100 million.
The fact that he was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis didn’t stop him from having a stellar season full of memorable performances. For the first time since 1987, the Cardinals made it to the World Series. The Boston Red Sox swept them in four games. The following season, Pujols hit his 200th career home run, giving him the third-youngest player to accomplish this feat.
Albert finished second in MVP voting once again in 2006. During the Cardinals’ third straight playoff appearance, he was named the National League’s Gold Glove Award winner. They went on to play the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. It was Albert Pujols’ first World Series championship ring after he blasted a game-winning home run in the opening game of the series, which the Cardinals won 4-2.
For the second time in his career, Pujols won the NL MVP Award in 2007 and the Sporting News Player of the Year award in 2008. His amazing home run stats, he responded, when asked about it “Just another home run that slams through the outfield fence. Our supporters had been eagerly awaiting this moment, and I’m pleased to oblige.” He received the Silver Slugger Award for the fifth time and the sixth time in his career in 2009 and 2010.
The Cardinals and Albert returned to the playoffs in 2011. As a New York Times reporter noted, “Even when Pujols fails, he excels,” Pujols struggled in the first half of the season. As a result, they were able to advance to the World Series, where they faced off against the Texas Rangers and prevailed. Albert blasted three home runs in Game Three of the World Series, joining Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson as the only players in World Series history to do it.
A ten-year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels was signed by Albert Pujols in 2012. In spite of a rough start, he ended up making a comeback. Albert was unable to play in the 2013 season after sustaining a foot injury. As of 2014, he was the third-youngest player to reach 500 home runs, and he was picked for the All-Star Game in 2015.
Even though he never reached the same success as he had with the Cardinals, Pujols continued to play for the Los Angeles Angels. Albert was the oldest player in Major League Baseball when the 2020 season began, at the age of 40. A home run in September moved him up to sixth place all-time with his 662nd.
Albert Pujols Salary and Contracts
The Cardinals paid Albert Pujols a total of $14.5 million at the height of his career. St. Louis gave him $100 million over the course of seven years in his most recent contract. At his height, he was paid $28 million a year by the Los Angeles Angels. An additional $7 million a year came from endorsements at the peak of his career. Albert Pujols signed a $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on December 8th, 2011. Alex Rodriguez’s 10-year $275 million contract with the New York Yankees was the second-largest in baseball history at the time of signing. In baseball history, Pujols’ deal is only the third to reach the $200 million mark. For a look at some of the best-paid baseball players, click here. Albert Pujols made $30 million in pay and endorsements between June 2017 and June 2018, with the great bulk coming from Pujols’ salary.
Real Estate
The rumors are true. I’m back for one more Home Run Derby. See you in Hollywood! pic.twitter.com/H97IEIXAJ5
— Albert Pujols (@PujolsFive) July 12, 2022
When Pujols put his California property on the market in 2016, the asking price was $7.75 million. Spanish Colonial-style construction was completed in 2010. There is a gated courtyard with a fountain at the entrance to the house, and the rotunda entryway has a spiralling staircase for visitors. With five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and one half-bathroom, the rustic home has everything from a gourmet kitchen with an island to formal living and dining rooms. Albert paid $5.55 million for the house in 2012.