Albert Pujols By the Numbers

What is going on with Albert Pujols?  After the first 18 games of the season many are left asking this question, especially the team that handed Pujols a cool $240 million this December, the Los Angeles Angels.  I certainly don’t have an answer to the question of what’s plaguing Pujols.  Instead, let’s take a look at just how bad of an April Albert’s had.

Through his first 18 games and 72 at-bats as an Angel, Pujols has only managed a line of .222/.282/.319.  Pujols remains homerless and has four RBIs to his name.  The slugger has walked six times while striking out on 11 occasions.

Some qualified the start Pujols got off to last season as ‘slow’.  His .794 OPS at the end of April 2011 looks Babe Ruth-like to Pujols’s current mark of .601.  By the time April 2011 ended Pujols had seven home runs and 18 RBIs.  By the end of April 2010 Pujols had the same number of home runs and only one more RBI than 2011, but he added six doubles which in total gave him an OPS of a more Albert-like 1.085.

Bud Norris, Daniel Hudson, Clayton Kershaw, James McDonald, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Jaime Garcia, Wade Miley, Jhoulys Chacin.  What do these players have in common?  Yes, they are all pitchers.  And yes, they do all currently sport higher OPS’s than Albert Pujols.

Mark Ellis and Elvis Andrus have higher slugging percentages than Pujols.  Chone Figgins and Chris Davis have higher on base percentages than Pujols.  Adam Dunn has more strikeouts than Pujols, but he is also hitting for a higher batting average than Albert.

There’s no way (is there?) that Pujols remains in the company of these players as the season progresses.  However, it has to be alarming for Angels fans to see their $240 million man not producing in such a way so early into his LA tenure.

For more on the Angels be sure to check out Halo Hangout.

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