MLB: Not Your Everyday Players – Current Household Names in Baseball
By Anthony Sosa
Albert Pujols
Sure, Albert Pujols hasn’t been as successful in an Angels uniform as he was in a Cardinals one, but that doesn’t take away from his impressive 16-year career. A person off the street should recognize the name with ease.
Let’s run through Pujols’ statistics. A power-hitter who has a career .309 batting average, he’s just 175 hits away from joining the 3,000 club (of only 30 members), he needs 183 RBI to become just the fourth player with 2,000 RBI and he’s a mere nine home runs away from becoming the ninth player in MLB history to hit 600 home runs. He’s also 15th all-time in doubles with 602.
With statistics alone, he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. That’s without mentioning his Rookie of the Year award, three MVP awards, six Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves and 10 All-Star appearances. He also won two World Series with the Cardinals, in 2006 and 2011.
Pujols has contributed immensely to the recognition of baseball throughout the 2000s. His strong ties to his native Dominican Republic also play along in building his household name.
He’s definitely nearing the end of his career, but people will recognize him as a household name for many years into the future.