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Albert Pujols will not reach 700 homer mark with St. Louis Cardinals

By David Hill

Sep 9, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols (55) looks on from the dugout during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2021; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols (55) looks on from the dugout during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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It is a great story. The prodigal son has returned as Albert Pujols is back with the St. Louis Cardinals. He will retire in the place he never should have left, getting to bask in the adulation of Cardinals fans as he embarks upon his farewell tour.

It is also an opportunity for Pujols to make history in a Cardinals uniform. He is 21 homers away from being the fourth player in MLB history to reach the 700 home run plateau. Pujols is also just 18 homers away from passing Alex Rodriguez for fourth on the all time home run list, two marks that would appear to be within reach.

Albert Pujols will not make history with St. Louis Cardinals

Pujols would just need playing time to get there. Although he has struggled over the past few years, he has still been a respectable power bat, hitting 46 homers in his 1004 plate appearances over the past three years. He has a 4.6% home run rate in that time, meaning that he would need approximately 457 plate appearances to reach the 700 home run mark should that rate continue.

Therein lies the problem. Pujols is strictly a platoon first baseman and/or designated hitter at this point in his career. He can still handle left handed pitching, but the same cannot be said about righties. He produced a miserable .180/.233/.266 batting line in his 150 plate appearances against right handers, hitting just four homers and drawing six walks.

He does not have much of a path to playing time at first base either. Paul Goldschmidt has not appeared in under 155 games in a full season since 2014. At best, Pujols is going to be a platoon designated hitter who might see a handful of games at first to give Goldschmidt a partial day off.

Pujols still has some thunder left in his bat. If he was playing every day, he would have a reasonable chance at reaching the 700 homer plateau provided he stayed healthy. The problem is that he will not be in the lineup on a nightly basis. He may not even get 300 plate appearances in his final season, limiting his ability to chase that milestone. 700 home runs will not be happening.

Time to temper excitement with reality for Pujols. dark. Next

Albert Pujols is chasing history. As great of a story as it would be, he is not reaching the 700 homer plateau with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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