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Future Corridor of Fame slugger Albert Pujols has formally signed his retirement papers Monday, ending his glittering 22-year profession, per Mark Feisand of MLB.com. Pujols had already introduced 2022 could be his remaining season, however after a resurgent remaining yr for the Cardinals this information confirms he received’t be again.
Pujols will go down as one of many sport’s best sluggers, having mashed 703 house runs over his profession, which included three MVP awards and eleven journeys to the All Star recreation. The 42-year-old loved a surprising remaining season in St Louis, the town he spent a lot of his profession, hitting .270/.345/.550 with 24 house runs, sufficient to grow to be simply the fourth participant in historical past to hitch the 700-club.
Pujols was drafted within the thirteenth spherical of the 1999 draft by the Cardinals, and made his debut in 2001. He started mashing instantly, hitting .329/.403/.610 with 37 house runs on the way in which to a Rookie of the Yr award and a fourth place end in NL MVP voting. That might set the tone for one of many nice slugging careers, as Pujols continued to terrorize Nationwide League pitchers over the subsequent decade in St Louis. Between 2001-10, Pujols by no means completed a season with a batting common underneath .300 or a house run complete underneath 30, and solely had one sub-.400 OBP season. Over his first eleven seasons with the Cardinals, he amassed a staggering 86.6 bWAR, and firmly entrenched himself as a St Louis legend and an amazing of the game.
He inked an extension with the Cardinals in 2004 for $111M which proved extraordinarily good enterprise for the group, and delayed his free company till after the 2011 season. As soon as on the open market, it was the Angels who secured his coveted signature, touchdown him on a ten-year, $240M deal after the Cardinals topped out at a nine-year deal. On the time, it was the third largest contract in MLB historical past. Whereas Pujols had a number of years of sturdy manufacturing which earned him down poll MVP votes, the deal was largely a disappointment for the Halos and he was by no means the offensive juggernaut he was in St Louis. Pujols hit simply .256/.311/.447 throughout ten years in Anaheim and was price simply 12.8 bWAR there.
The Angels lastly minimize ties with him in early within the 2021 season, and he landed with the Dodgers for the rest of the yr. There was hypothesis he’d retire after the 2021 marketing campaign, however the Cardinals opted to convey him again for a $2.5M farewell season, and he didn’t disappoint. He’ll be a favourite for NL Comeback Participant of the Yr and together with the pending retirement of fellow Cardinals’ legend Yadier Molina made 2022 a memorable season in St Louis.
His resurgent remaining season helped the Cardinals make the playoffs in 2022, however his profession got here to a detailed in a collection loss by the hands of the Phillies within the wildcard spherical. Pujols didn’t hit a lot in that quick collection, however he was a dominant pressure in playoff fixtures over his profession. In 88 post-season matches, he hit 19 house runs amid a .319/.422/.572 slashline. That included a mixed 4 World Sequence house runs throughout the Cardinals’ championship years of 2006 and 2011.
Whereas the formal affirmation of Pujols’ retirement shouldn’t be a shock, it does draw to a detailed the profession of one of many sport’s nice gamers. He’ll assuredly wind up in Cooperstown, however within the meantime, everybody at MLB Commerce Rumors congratulates Pujols on his memorable profession and want him the most effective in retirement.
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