Angels release Pujols

[UMFan83]

Feel like its a noteworthy enough transaction. They stuck with him through many crappy years only to release him during his final year. Not sure if any team will actually pick him up so this may be the end of a HOF career

 

[Derwood]

The contrast between his Cardinal years and his Angels years is almost unbelievable.

[Cubswin11]

No way he doesn’t end up on the White Sox

[sneakypower]

he needs to come out and admit he's really 51

[CubinNY]

Feel like its a noteworthy enough transaction. They stuck with him through many crappy years only to release him during his final year. Not sure if any team will actually pick him up so this may be the end of a HOF career

 

10 day contract with the Cardinals for TBFIBB to give him a standing O.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I was so convinced we were getting either him or Fielder, and we ended up with stupid Tony instead. What a country.

[Derwood]

The contrast between his Cardinal years and his Angels years is almost unbelievable.

 

STL (2001-2011)

 

.328/.420/.617/1.037

 

170 OPS+

 

445 HR, 1328 RBI, 2073 H, 455 2B, 975 BB, 704 K's

 

81.3 fWAR

 

 

LAA (2012-2021)

 

.256/.311/.447/.758

 

108 OPS+

 

222 HR, 783 RBI, 1180 H, 214 2B, 359 BB, 613 K's

 

5.7 fWAR

 

That disparity is huge, but his career stat line is just mind-blowing

 

CAREER (2001-present)

 

.298/.376/.545.921

 

145 OPS+

 

667 HR

 

2112 RBI

 

3253 H

 

669 2B

 

1334 BB

 

1317 K's

 

87.0 fWAR

[CubinNY]

The contrast between his Cardinal years and his Angels years is almost unbelievable.

 

STL (2001-2011)

 

.328/.420/.617/1.037

 

170 OPS+

 

445 HR, 1328 RBI, 2073 H, 455 2B, 975 BB, 704 K's

 

81.3 fWAR

 

 

LAA (2012-2021)

 

.256/.311/.447/.758

 

108 OPS+

 

222 HR, 783 RBI, 1180 H, 214 2B, 359 BB, 613 K's

 

5.7 fWAR

 

That disparity is huge, but his career stat line is just mind-blowing

 

CAREER (2001-present)

 

.298/.376/.545.921

 

145 OPS+

 

667 HR

 

2112 RBI

 

3253 H

 

669 2B

 

1334 BB

 

1317 K's

 

87.0 fWAR

Considering he didn't reach the majors until he was 26, that is very impressive.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

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[bukie]

I can't wait until Tony LaRussa signs him to be the runner on second in extra inning games going forward.

[d_money]

I can't wait until Tony LaRussa signs him to be the runner on second in extra inning games going forward.

It would be such a classic WS move to sign him. Hilariously bad.

[Backtobanks]

No way he doesn’t end up on the White Sox

 

Reinsdorf, LaRussa, and Pujols can sit around and talk about "the good old days" together.

[UMFan83]

[The_Achiever]

No way he doesn’t end up on the White Sox

 

Reinsdorf, LaRussa, and Pujols can sit around and talk about "the good old days" together.

 

You know Kenny Williams will want to be at that table too. I remember seeing Ken Griffey Jr. in centerfield at a white sox game in 08 and it was brutal. He didn't move for an entire inning!

 

I will always wonder if Pujols' decline would have been so precipitous if he had stayed with the Cardinals. He didn't even put together *1* Cardinals-pujols worthy season his entire tenure.

 

I know they won their last WS during his last season there but not signing him again was truly a bullet dodged.

[Gilby]

It's hard to fathom that he'll finish with a career OBP not even within shouting distance of .400 and a BA under .300. That would've seemed almost impossible. His baseball reference page is really something.

[17 Seconds]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

[Andy]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

Without looking it up I'd say it's damn near impossible because it wasn't until this century that guys were signing long enough contracts to keep getting run out there long after they stopped being any good.

[Derwood]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

 

Griffey post-Seattle?

[pitchcs]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

 

Ernie Banks?

[Tim]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

Without looking it up I'd say it's damn near impossible because it wasn't until this century that guys were signing long enough contracts to keep getting run out there long after they stopped being any good.

Yaz and Ripken are both really close.

[imb]

has there ever been a player as good as pujols who sucked as long as pujols did?

Without looking it up I'd say it's damn near impossible because it wasn't until this century that guys were signing long enough contracts to keep getting run out there long after they stopped being any good.

Yaz and Ripken are both really close.

 

Ripken was almost worth 40 WAR from 30-40. Same for Yaz. Pujols was worth like 11.

[Derwood]

From age 30 to end of career:

 

Pujols: 16.4 fWAR

 

Yaz: 43.2

 

Ripken: 37.3

 

Griffey: 9.2

 

Banks: 16.6

[Tim]

Yaz played until 43. The last 10 weren't as good. But better than I remembered.

[squally1313]

Pete Rose was obviously older, but his last 6 years (ages 39-45) were 894 games of 1.2 fWAR.

[UMFan83]

Without looking it up I'd say it's damn near impossible because it wasn't until this century that guys were signing long enough contracts to keep getting run out there long after they stopped being any good.

Yaz and Ripken are both really close.

 

Ripken was almost worth 40 WAR from 30-40. Same for Yaz. Pujols was worth like 11.

 

That's insane considering he played every single game (except 1 in 1998) in 8 of those 11 years and was playing a premium defensive position in 6 of those 11 years. I realize that playing every game at a premium position allows him to accumulate more WAR than someone playing 140 games in LF but the wear and tear of playing every day at SS combined with the inevitable decline from aging makes it impressive to me.

 

Moreover, he was not an elite hitter most of the time. In 1992 at age 31 he had a .689 OPS and still accumulated 3.7 fWAR. Outside of 1991 where he was a monster and had almost 11 WAR, he was consistently a 3-4 win guy throughout his 30s.