Texas Rangers Rougned Odor Joins Select Group of Young Sluggers
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
37 home runs as a 21-year-old in 2001
34 home runs as a 22-year-old in 2002
Albert Pujols was a 13th round pick out of Maple Woods Community College in 1999. He played just one season in the minor leagues. He easily handled A ball, then hit well in 21 games in High-A before finishing out the year with just three games at Triple-A. No one expected him to play the 2001 season with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 21-year-old, but he turned heads in the spring by leading the Cardinals in total bases.
Because of his great Spring Training, Pujols made the Opening Day roster. He had just one hit in his first nine at-bats of his rookie year, but very quickly got on a hot streak, going 7-for-14 in his next three games. This stretch included his first major league home run, off of Armando Reynoso of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Pujols finished that year with 37 bombs, the fourth-highest total ever for a player 21 years old or younger. The three players who hit more home runs in a season at such a young age are Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Frank Robinson. Pujols then followed up his 37-homer rookie season with a 34-homer second season at the age of 22, so he hit the 30 homer mark twice by the age of 22.
Next: Miami Masher and Detroit Destroyer