Adrián Beltré Makes History...Again April 6, 2018

Texas Rangers 3B Adrián Beltré made history once again during yesterday's game against the Oakland A's. With his 2 for 3 performance, Beltré passed Hall of Famer Rod Carew with his career hit number 3,054. In doing so, Beltré became the player born in Latin America with most career hits. Beltré was born in the Dominican Republic while Carew was born in Panama. But Beltré's history making didn't end there. 

With his second hit of the game, Beltré tied another Hall of Famer on the All-Time Hits list. This time, he stood side by side with Rickey Henderson. Both players are on the list with 3,055 hits. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio sits just ahead with 3,060 hits. Now here is where the fun really begins.

In front of Biggio is Seattle Mariners outfielder (and future Hall of Famer) Ichiro Suziki. Ichiro currently has 3, 082 hits and is the player who has most career hits that was born in a foreign country. Plus add to the 3,000 hit mix is Los Angeles Angeles (I almost typed California and Anaheim before finally typing Los Angeles, LOL) 1B/DH Albert Pujols. Pujols, who like Ichiro and Beltré is a future Hall of Famer, currently sits at 2,975 career hits. 

It is also conceivable that a 200 hit season puts Beltré at 14th on the list just past Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, who sits at 3,184 hits. The 2018 season is shaping up nicely as a race within the 3,000 hit club.

After Pujols, where do we sit in terms of current players on the cusp of the 3,000 club. You have Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera with 2,643 hits and Seattle Mariners 2B Robinson Cano with 2,386 hits. After that, it'll be a while before we have a discussion about who might be next to reach the 3,000 hit club.

Until Then Keep Playing Ball,
Baseball Sisco
#BaseballSisco
#BaseballSiscoKidStyle

For Further Reading:

• Career Hits List from Baseball Reference.com
• Active Hits List from Baseball Reference.com

Latinos Making History Week Ending Sunday April 27

This past week was a historical one for Latinos in the Major Leagues. Let's not waste time and jump right in.

- Albert Pujols Reaches the 500 Homerun plateau
Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim slugger Albert Pujols looks like he's back to form in dealing with a couple in injury filled seasons in California. Pujols became the 26th and youngest player to reach the 500 homerun club. At age 34, Pujols hit both homerun 499 and 500 against Washington Nationals starter Taylor Jordan on April 22. He is the first player to hit both homers 499 and 500 in the same game. El Hombre is back!!!

- Jose Abreu sets the rookie RBI record for the month of April
Cuban slugger Jose Abreu is certainly making his mark on the Majors in his first month with the Chicago White Sox. Abreu has set the major league rookie record for RBIs with 31 through April 27. Abreu is batting .262 with a league leading 10 homeruns and 31 RBIs. He still has three games to add to his rookie record for RBIs in the month of April with one game against the Tampa Bay Rays and two against the Detroit Tigers. Let's see where he ends up. Jose Abreu courtesy of the blogpage White Sox Cards. Check them out.


- Blue Jays Set Record with 6 Dominicans in the Starting Lineup
I'm not sure when Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons filled out his lineup card on April 27 against the Boston Red Sox he realized that he was making history. By slotting Jose Reyes (SS), Melky Cabrera (CF), Jose Bautista (LF), Juan Encarnacion (1B), Juan Francisco (DH) and Moises Sierra (RF) into the starting lineup, this would mark the first time that six players from the Dominican Republic were in the starting lineup at the same time.

Hearing about this brought back memories of a post I wrote concerning the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 1, 1971. In my post The First All Black-Latino MLB Starting Lineup from September 1, 2011, Pirates manager Danny Murtagh filled out his lineup card with all players of color including pitcher Dock Ellis. Now can we ever get a lineup entirely made up of Dominicans on a Major League diamond? Only time will tell. =)

Hasta la próxima, no dejamos de jugar el Beisbol,
Baseball Sisco
#baseballsisco
#baseballsiscokidstyle

Albert Pujols and Plantar Fasciitis

All season we've heard about how Albert Pujols is playing on an injured left foot due to a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. Before I go into the most recent development on Pujols and his left foot, I decided to look into to what Plantar Fasciitis is. According to WebMD.com:

What is Plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis (say "PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus") is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia camera is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.

What causes plantar fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is caused by straining the ligament that supports your arch. Repeated strain can cause tiny tears in the ligament. These can lead to pain and swelling

What are the symptoms?
Most people with plantar fasciitis have pain when they take their first steps after they get out of bed or sit for a long time. You may have less stiffness and pain after you take a few steps. But your foot may hurt more as the day goes on. It may hurt the most when you climb stairs or after you stand for a long time.

Ok, now that we got that out of the way let's focus on Pujols. As it has been well documented, Pujols is not having a Pujolsian type of season. Currently he's batting .258 with 17 home runs and 64 runs batted in and started at Designated hitter for 65 of his 99 starts. It would stand to reason that the reason why Pujols is still in the starting lineup, even with a painful condition as plantar fasciitis is that Pujols has been somewhat productive (compared to teammate Josh Hamilton). Last night's game in Oakland might change things.

According to Los Angeles Times sportswriter, Mike DiGiovanna in his article Angels' Albert Pujols aggravates foot injury, could land on DL:

Albert Pujols aggravated the left foot injury that has hobbled him all season on a ninth-inning, two-run single Friday night and returned to Southern California on Saturday to undergo an MRI test and be examined by a doctor, a setback that is expected to send the slugger to the disabled list.

I really think this is the right thing for Pujols. I give him credit for playing with pain all season but at some point he needs to realize that doing so would hurt not only the team but also himself. Let's say the ligament were to snap. He'd be out for a considerable time and that wouldn't help anyone.

Considering that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are currently tied for 3rd in the American League West at 48-54 (with the Seattle Mariners) at 12 games back in the standings and 8.5 games behind in the American League Wild Card race, I think that Pujols should just rest the foot before he damages it even more. Its easy for me to say since I am not an athlete of Albert Pujols' caliber but with his team seemingly fading more and more in the standings. It would benefit all parties if Pujols just sat and let himself heal.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Sisco Kid

Albert Pujols On The Cusp Of 500 Home Runs

Barring any major injuries, it would be safe to say that Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols will reach the 500 Home Run plateau this season. Pujols currently sits at 475 homers entering his 13th major league season. Though the fastest to 500 home runs was Mark McGwire in 1,639 games (Pujols has played in 1,859 games) and the youngest to 500 home runs was Alex Rodriguez at 32 years and 8 days of age (Pujols turned 33 this past January 16), Pujols has been downright impressive in his march to 500.

Even with last season's un-Pujolsian type season (30 HR 105RBI), he still has an yearly average of 39.6 Homers with yearly averages of 119.6 RBI,187.2 hits, 89 walks and for a power hitter of Pujols' caliber a mind blowing 68 strikeouts. He stands with a career. 325 batting average and a career OPS of 1.022 (.608 slugging/.414 on base percentages).

Add to that the idea that Pujols will have a potent 3-4 combination in the lineup that he has never had before with Josh Hamilton, who in six seasons has averaged a .304  batting average with a .304 batting average and yearly averages of 35 homers and 122 RBI. And Hamilton will be batting in the clean up hole behind him. The image of two boppers like Pujols and Hamilton hitting for power AND average back to back in that lineup WITH Mike Trout in the lineup evokes images of Ruth and Gehrig and Ramirez and Ortiz. Ay-yay-yay.

Angels Stadium will be electric this season, more so as Pujols inches closer and closer to 500 home runs. As hard as it is for me to say, 2013 might be Albert Pujols' best season yet. Stay tuned.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for Albert Pujols' career statistics from Baseball Reference.com

The 3000-Hit Club Post Derek Jeter

I read an interesting article in today's New York Times written by Neil Payne entitled After Jeter Reaches 3,000 Hits, Who's Likely Next?. In the article, Payne describes who might be the next players to reach the lofty 3,000 hit plateau after Derek Jeter (who is currently at 2,990 hits). The method in which Payne reaches his conclusion is based on Bill James' theory called the Favorite Toy. As per Payne:

the Favorite Toy, a simple means of projecting performance based on a player’s age and most recent career trends.

The formula essentially asks and answers three questions:

1. How far is a player from the milestone in question?
2. How quickly is he approaching the milestone?
3. How much time does he have left to attain the milestone?

So based on the model, the next three players who have the highest probability of reaching 3,000 hits are Alex Rodriguez (2,731), Johnny Damon (2,637) and Albert Pujols (1,969). Time is on the side of these players, especially Pujols. Both Rodriguez and Damon are in their mid to late 30's and I believe will continue to be productive players. Pujols is truly amazing to me since at the age of 31 he is only 31 hits away from 2,000 hits and 78 homeruns from 500. If based on his average of 197 hits per season (his highest of of 212 in 2003 and lowest of 177 in 2006) he's on pace to hit 3,000 hits during the 2017 season. God knows how many homeruns he'll have at that point. Like I said before: truly amazing.

A name that I find surprising that is missing from the top of the list is that of Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. Payne says the following about Ichiro:

Even for a great hitter like Ichiro Suzuki, the trends are pointing down. He ranks 11th among active players, but he is 37, needs 690 hits to reach 3,000 and has fallen off this season

So the man in 37 and is currently having himself an "Un-Ichiro" type season. Keep in mind that even though he currently has 2,310 hits in 11 Major League Baseball season, this is a man that also has 1,285 hits while playing in Japan for the Orix Blue Wave of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. So his total hit figure is 3,595. His track record has proven that he is a consistent hit machine. He has averaged 224 hits a season since his debut in the Majors in 2001 (his highest was 262 in 2004 and his lowest was 206 in 2005) and until he shows me in more than half a year that his skills are in decline, I am going to expect him to live up to his prior production. I'm not saying that age doesn't play a role in the diminishing of skills it does, but I just don't think that metrics of any kind can quantify a man's desire and motivation to achieve personal goals. I think that Ichiro will be the first Japanese ballplayer to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown regardless if he reaches the 3,000 hit plateau but how better to nail down his legacy by getting to 3,000. Whether he gets there playing with the Mariners or not is another story for another day.

I do agree with Payne when he says it might be difficult for Ivan Rodriguez (2,835) and Omar Vizquel (2,823) to reach 3,000. Both players have become utility players and getting over 175 hits to reach 3,000 in that role makes it difficult. The necessary at-bats are just not there. An intriguing player is Vladimir Guerrero.

At 2,494 hits, he will reach the 2,500 hit mark within the next week or two. Based on last year's resurgent season with the Texas Rangers, Guerrero can still be a productive player though he can pretty much only do so in the DH position. I'm not sure if the lack of interest in Guerrero during last season's off-season is a reflection of Guerrero's skills but will the at-bats be there for Guerrero to get the necessary 500 hits to reach 3,000.

As it stand today, the 3,000 hit club only has 27 members. After Jeter makes it 28 within a few weeks and possibly 32 with the potential addition of Damon, Pujols, Suzuki and Rodriguez I think that there will be a period of time where no one will reach 3,000 hits making membership in that club as exclusive as the 300 win club.

Any opinions? Additions and/or subtractions? Let me know.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here for an interactive exhibit on the 3,000 Hit club presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown website

The Albert Pujols Contract Saga

I heard the news yesterday on the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols not being able to reach an agreement on a new contract for the 2012 season and beyond. Since they were not able to reach consensus on a new contract, Pujols will not negotiate with the team during the season. Pujols says that he doesn't want his contract status to be a distraction to his teammates during this season. I don't know about you, but if I declined to sign the reported 8-year $200-million dollar deal ($25-million per year) I think that would be something of a distraction.

To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand on this. Like Justin and I spoke about yesterday. Alex Rodriguez's contract with the New York Yankees in 2007 was for 10-years $275-million dollars and the fact that Albert Pujols is (IMHO) the best player in the game, it stands to reason that he would want a contract either on par with A-Rod's if not better. On the other hand, $25-million a year isn't a shabby piece of cash. In the end, we're all debating amounts of money, that unless we are extremely lucky, will never see in our lifetimes. Does it mean Pujols is wrong?

As I said with the Derek Jeter contract situation a few months ago, there's nothing wrong with wanting to get paid what you are feel you are worth. We all do it when we ask for a raise and if we don't get said raise, we leave our job for a newer higher paying job. Granted the amounts between us and Pujols are astronomical but the basic idea is the same. At the same time, can the St. Louis Cardinals pay Pujols $30-million per year and be able to put a competitive team around him on a yearly basis? As it is they are in the hole for $17-million per year through 2016 (with a team option for 2017). Add to the mix that ace Adam Wainright is entering free agency after this season (the club holds a $9-million option for 2012 and a $12-million option for 2013). What do the Cardinals do. If the Cardinals don't resign their franchise player, who can.

Rob Neyer of SBNation reports in his post On Trading Albert Pujols For Another Slugging First Baseman on Ken Rosenthal's suggestion that the Cardinals can trade Pujols to the Yankees for their first baseman Mark Teixeira since the Yankees may be the one of the only teams that can pay Pujols the 10-years $30-million dollars that apparently he is looking for. Aside from the simple pleasure I would gain from hearing the Boston Red Sox fans moan about this move, it is an amazing scenario from a Yankee fan's perspective.

Rosenthal also mentions Ryan Howard as a potential trade chip for Pujols. The baseball world was put on it's ear with the rumor of a potential trade last Spring Training between the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals of Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols, one for one. I compared both players against each other in a post from last season Pujols vs. Howard and I stand by my same point of view from last season. If I'm Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., I make the deal without hesitation. Knowing now how much of a shrewd negotiator Amaro is with his signing of Cliff Lee this past offeason, anything is possible. But realistically, can the Phillies sign Pujols for $30-million a year.

Pujols was quoted as saying "I want to be a Cardinal forever. That's my goal." I believe he is sincere in his statements and I think the Cardinals and Pujols get a deal done. I believe both sides need each other. Pujols will go down as one of the all-time greats of the game and deserves to be side by side in the Cardinals pantheon of greats alongside Stan Musial, only if he plays his remaining days in St. Louis.

FH

For Further Reading:
- Click Here to access Jayson Stark's article Albert Pujols Speaks dated February 17, 2011 from ESPN.com
- Click Here to access Rob Neyer's article On Trading Albert Pujols For Another Slugging First Baseman dated January 15, 2011 from SBNation.com

A Few Baseball Milestones

In the last few weeks a number of Baseball milestones have been reached by various players throughout the league and I just wanted to highlight a few of them for you. Here goes:

- Dan Uggla
The Florida Marlins' second baseman for the became the first second baseman in the history of Major League Baseball to have four consecutive seasons of 30 homeruns. Uggla is also the first second baseman to have three consecutive 30 homerun seasons. I find that truly impressive since power hitting second basemen such as Jeff Kent, Chase Utley and Alfonso Soriano have put plenty of balls into the seats while playing second, through Kent and Soriano also played other positions. Michael Jong in his article named Dan Uggla Reaches Another Milestone HR on the MarlinManiac.com webpage compares Uggla to other players that have been homerun hitters at the second base position. Congrats to Dan Uggla on his continued success in Florida.

- Evan Longoria
Since I was in the sunshine state I decided to move north to Tampa-St. Petersburg to highlight the milestone of the Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria. On Sunday September 5th in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, Longoria hit his 20th homerun of the season. This achievement couples with his 30 doubles has made Longoria the fifth player to achieve this accomplishment within their first three seasons in the league. Who are the other four players: Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Orlando Cepeda and Albert Pujols. Longoria is definitely keep up with some impressive Major Leaguers and I doubt he'll let up in the least.

- Alex Rodriguez
In a truly off year for the New York Yankees third baseman, Rodriguez has become the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to have fourteen seasons of 100 or more runs batted in. Of these fourteen seasons of 100 or more RBI's, thirteen of them have come consecutively. In doing so, Rodriguez passed Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and Babe Ruth, who each drove in at least 100 in 13 seasons. Rodriguez also tied Gehrig and Foxx with his thirteenth consecutive 100-RBI season. Even though A-Rod is at only 23 homers for this season, his RBI totals show that he has been able to adapt his hitting style from pure power to contact hitting. Tine will tell if this is truly an off year for Rodriguez or if his career is in a decline.

- Derek Jeter
Staying in New York City and profiling another Yankees player who is an off year, shortstop Derek Jeter continues his climb up the baseball hit list. During this past weekend's series against the Texas Rangers, Derek Jeter hit his 2,900th his. This places Jeter in thirty-sixth place behind Al Simmons (2,927 hits). Currently at 2,903 hits, Jeter's detractors (and some supporters) are starting to call this season as the beginning of the end. My thing is this, isn't someone allowed to have a bad year? Sure, Jeter is 36-years old and batting 50 points under his career batting average but damn, give them man credit for what he has done. Let's not send him out to pasture just yet. I still stand by my claim that Derek Jeter has the best chance to catch Pete Rose among current Major leaguers. Whether he does or not, only time will tell. But don't sleep on the Yankees captain. October is right around the corner.

- Albert Pujols
Pujols is currently in the thick of the NL Triple Crown and MVP races. While doing so, he's finding time to hit milestones. Pujols became the seventh player in Major League history with at least nine seasons of 30 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. This is truly amazing since he has only been in the league for TEN years. Barring any major slump during the last two weeks of the season, Pujols will become the fifth player in history with nine seasons hitting .300 with 30 home runs, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. Truly amazing.

So you folks don't think that I am biased toward batting, here are some pitching milestones.

-Trevor Hoffman

Last week, Milwaukee Brewers reliever Trevor Hoffman reached the 600 save plateau. He is currently the only pitcher with 600 saves though Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera is right behind him with 556 saves. Though Mariano will go down as the best closer in the history of the game, I've always said that Trevor Hoffman was severly underrated. Had he played his career in such venues as Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston or New York instead of San Diego and Milwaukee he'd be seen in a better light. As it is he is almost an after thought when talking about the best closers in the game.

- Derek Lowe
With his victory over the Washington Nationals this past week, Derek Lowe struck out his 1,500th batter. This ties him Paul Derringer in 175th place on the career strikeout list. Congrats to Derek Lowe on this achievement.

Ok folks, I'm wiped out. Have fun watching the pennant races. I know I am.
FH

NL Triple Crown and MVP Races

Pete and I were working together this past Thursday evening when he asked me who I thought was going to win the NL Triple Crown. He caught me off guard by his question. Then I realized that I never noticed the NL Triple Crown race. Back in July I highlighted the possible AL Triple Crown winners in my post called Possible AL Triple Crown and NL ERA Dominance, which to be honest none of the players I profiled will win this year's Triple Crown. On the other hand, the NL is another story. It would be the first time in 73 years that a National League player has won the Triple Crown since Joe Medwick achieved the feat for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. Let's see who's who in the NL Triple Crown race.

- Carlos Gonzalez
The man affectionately known as "CarGo" in Denver seems to have come out of nowhere for the Colorado Rockies this season. In his first full season (he played in 85 games with the Oakland A's in 2008 and 89 games with the Rockies in 2009), Gonzalez has exploded at the plate. He leads the NL with a .332 batting average, is currently fifth in hommers with 31 (four behind leader Albert Pujols) and is third with 93 RBI (four behind the leader Joey Votto). Having watched some of the Rockies games while at work, I can tell you that Carlos Gonzalez is an amazing player. Not only has he emerged as a potential Triple Crown winner, but he has also played himself into potential MVP consideration.

- Joey Votto
Building upon the success of the last two seasons, Votto has shown that he is only getting better with each passing year. In his fourth season Votto is currently second in batting with a .325 average (seven points behind Carlos Gonzalez), tied for third in homers with 32 (three behind Albert Pujols) and is the league leader with 97 RBI. Votto is one of the main reasons why the Cincinnati Reds are the NL Central Division leaders with an eight game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals.

- Albert Pujols
Perennial NL MVP is the odds on favorite to qualify for the Triple Crown each season though I have to say that he is the longshot to win the award. Pujols is currently fifth in league batting .313 average (nineteen points behind leader Carlos Gonzalez), he leads the league with 35 homers and is second in the league with 95 RBI (two behind Joey Votto). Though it would take Pujols to go on a major tear to reach both Gonzalez and Votto in terms of average. It can be done. Pujols is like a machine when it comes to his at-bats and he is only getting better as he enters his prime years.

I believe that one of these three players will also win the NL MVP. Maybe whomever wins the Triple Crown will take both awards home. September will prove to be an interesting month in Baseball.

FH

Latino Milestones in the U.S. and Japan

Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals and Alex Ramirez of the Yomiyuri Tokyo Giants both had big weeks in their respective leagues. Both players continued to assault the record books and will eventually leave their names notched near the top due to their accomplishments. Let's start with Pujols.

Albert Pujols
With his blast during the 4th inning of an 11-10 loss to the Washington Nationals on August 26th Albert Pujols joined the 400 homerun club. In doing so at the age of 30 years 222 days, Pujols became the third youngest player in the history of Major League Baseball to achieve the milestone trailing only Alex Rodriguez (29 years 316 days) and Ken Griffey Jr. (30 years 141 days). Even more amazing was that Pujols reached the 400 homerun mark during his 10th season while Rodriguez and Griffey Jr both reached the 400 homerun mark during their 12th season. for his career with the Cardinals, Pujols has a .332 batting average with 401 homers and 1207 RBI. Where the discussion used to be that it wasn't if Griffey and/or Rodriguez would reach and surpass Aaron (and now Bonds) but I think the discussion has turned towards Pujols and his assault on Baseball homerun record.

Alex Ramirez
With his three-run homer in the first inning of a 10-4 win over the Chunichi Dragons on August 26th, Alex Ramirez became the first player in the history of the Nippon Baseball League to record eight consecutive 100+ RBI seasons. In doing so, Ramirez passed Japanese Baseball legend Sadaharu Oh who achieved the prior mark of nine straight 100+ RBI seasons from 1963-1969. The homerun also gave Ramirez 40 homers in a season for the third time in his career in Japan. For his career in Japan, Ramirez has a .304 batting average with 329 Homers and 1088 RBI. (Photo Credit KYODO PHOTO)

Our Latino brothers are showing that they can dominate the game on opposite ends of the earth. Keep bashing and keep winning hermanos.

FH

For Further Reading
- Click Here for the MLB.com article on Albert Pujols hitting his 400th career homer by Matthew Leach
- Click Here to access Albert Pujols' career stats from Baseball-Reference.com
- Click Here to access the Japan Times article by Jason Coskrey telling of Alex Ramirez surpassing Sadaharu Oh consecutive 100+ RBI season record
- Click Here to access Alex Ramirez's career stats from the Nippon Baseball League website

Pujols vs. Howard

The Baseball world was abuzz yesterday with the presumed leak of a possible trade between the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals. Though rumors of trades between teams are a common practice, the players involved in the trade are the reason for the excitement. The proposed trade would sent St. Louis Cardinal first-baseman and current league MVP Albert Pujols to the Philadelphia Philles for his defensive counterpart, Ryan Howard. Whether or not this deal is real or not is irrelevant (well except to Pujols, Howard and their respective organizations), for arguments sake, let's look at both players and see which one would be the better deal.



1. Age
Both players are 30 years old, with Howard being a few months older than Pujols. Edge=Even

2. Offense
Both players are MVP caliber players, though Pujols has the edge on Howard with 3 MVP awards to 1. Both players are offensive dynamos who can change a game with a simple swing of the bat. But it is in the areas of batting average, walks and strikeouts that separate Pujols from Howard.

Pujols' and Howard's Career Statistics

Player	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BB	K
Pujols	1717	387	14	366	1112	.334	.427	.628	1.055	811	570
Howard	750	136	11	222	640	.279	.376	.588	.961	406	878

Now the career numbers are tilted towards Pujols' favor since he has played for 9 seasons while Howard has played for 6. Here are the average numbers for both players.

Pujols' and Howard's Yearly Average Statistics

Player	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BB	K
Pujols	199	45	2	42	129	.334	.427	.628	1.055	94	66
Howard	166	30	2	49	142	.279	.376	.588	.961	90	194

Comparing the yearly average statistics for both Pujols and Howard, you can see that Pujols is the more domninating and efficient player. Where Howard is the prototypical power hitter who hits massive amounts of homers (49) while striking out more than he walks (194/90). Pujols is quite the opposite. While he also hits many homers (42), he is much more efficient at the plate in terms of his strikeouts to walks (94/66). Pujols also has a better batting average and OPS compared to Howard (Pujols' .334 BA to Howard's .279 BA/Pujols' 1.055 OPS to Howard's .961 OPS). Edge=Pujols

3. Defense
Both play first-base and though not in the same league defensively as Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees both are very good first-basemen. The edge would go to Pujols here since he has the same amount of errors at first as Howard but with 3 more years on the bag (64). Pujols also has a slight edge on fielding percentage over Howard (.994 to .990). Edge=Pujols.

4. Meaning to Their Team
Both Pujols and Howard are extremely important to their teams, though I think that Pujols plays a more pivotal role to the Cardinals than Howard does to the Phillies. If you took Howard out of the Phillies lineup, they still have a team that is capable to win many games. Their lineup has the 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Jason Werth and Shane Victorino. Plus the Phillies have the luxury of throwing Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels on the mound every 5th day. On the other hand, if you took Pujols out of the Cardinals' lineup, you 'd be left with Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright on the mound. Not really the same effect. Edge=Pujols

5. Potential Free-agency
Both players are signed for a few more years with their respective teams. Pujols signed a 7-year $100 million dollar deal in 2004. Howard signed a 3-year $54 million dollar extension in 2009. Both players are currently making about $15 million per year but with free-agency looming large on the horizon for Pujols, it seems as if he will garner a contract similar (if not larger) than Alex Rodriguez's 10-year $275 million dollar deal. It remains to be seen if Pujols would take a hometown discount to stay with the Cardinals. Pujols had the following comments about his contract status with the Cardinals this past January:

“When that time comes, if it’s taking a discount to make this organization better, I want to have a great organization to be in the playoffs every year if we can,” he said.

“Right now I still have a couple of years,” he said. “That’s something that I don’t need to worry about right now. When my time comes, I’ll deal with that. Right now, my job is to let my agent do the talking and I’ll go and prepare for baseball. We’re open. We’re open to talk about it. I can tell you one thing, when the season starts we ain’t talking anything about it. Because my focus is to help this organization to win, and that’s it.

“If it comes to that [free agency], then that’s fine. That’s the decision that they decide to make, and that’s it. Do I want to become a free agent? No, but if it happens, then I have to deal with it. I want to play baseball, so I have to deal with my free agency and go play either here or somewhere else.”

After having signed Matt Holliday to a 7-year $120 million dollar contract this past offseason, will the Cardinals be willing to break the bank to sign Pujols? I think the thought of trading for Howard would mean a lesser contract to be given to Howard when he would be eligible for free-agency over the one that would be given to Pujols. On the flip side, would the Phillies be able to afford a contract of the size that Pujols would garner on the open market? Edge=Even.

As I told Pete yesterday after he notified me of the news of the trade rumor, both Pujols and Howard should be lifers with their teams as Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken and (hopefully) Derek Jeter are. A player of Pujols' caliber comes along once a generation if a franchise is lucky and since he wants to play in St. Louis, the Cardinals should make every effort to sign their franchise player for the long term. The price they pay will me made back with ease as Pujols continues to climb and knockdown record after record on his way to Cooperstown. On the other hand, Howard is no slouch by any stretch and I believe when it is all said and done, he will be mentioned in the same breath as Pujols and Teixeira as the premier first-basemen of this generation. Both players are adored in their home markets and should be the subject of adoration of hometown fans for years to come.

But if I was Phillies GM, Ruben Amaro Jr., the lure of being able to acquire the game's best player may be too much to ignore. Sorry Pete, I make the deal with no hesitation. What do you guys and gals think. Let me know.

FH

For Further Reading
- An Article from StLouistoday.com on Pujols and LaRussa thoughts on the trade comments
- An Article from the Philadelphia Daily News about Buster Olney defending his comments on the trade rumors
- The article from ESPN.com by Buster Olney that announced the trade rumor and comments from Pujols and Howard
- A column from the Albert Pujols Fan Club page on his status with the Cardinals and looming free-agency

Predictions for MVP

I'm still formulating my opinion of both American and National League Cy Young award winners so for now I'll post my predictions for American and National League MVP. Let me start with the senior circuit first.


As with National League Manager of the year, I think this one is a no-brainer. Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals will win his 3rd MVP award (2005, 2008). Pujols once again showed how dominating he can be by batting .327 with 47hrs and 135rbi. He also scored 124 runs, hit 45 doubles, 1 triple and working 159 walks (44 intentional) while only striking out 64 times, which to me is astonishing that a power hitter of Pujols caliber only strikes out approximately 60 times a year. Pujols also stole 16 bases while only being caught 4 times. Pujols also lead the league with an OPS of 1.101 (.658 SLG% and .443 OBP%). Pujols won his 5th National League Silver Slugger and second consecutive award for a 1st baseman. Defensively he was rock solid at 1st base, though his error total of 13 was an increase from last years total of 6 errors.

A distant second place will be Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins. Ramirez led the league with a .342 batting average while hitting 24hrs and 104rbi. He scored 101 runs, hit 42 doubles, 1 triple, stole 27 bases and walked 75 times (14 intentional). Ramirez struck out 101 times. Ramirez won the NL Silver Slugger for a Shortstop for the 2nd consecutive year. Defensively, Ramirez was solid at short making only 10 errors.

Though the Marlins had a surprising year finishing 87-75 (.537) for 2nd place in the NL East, 6 games behind the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, the St. Louis Cardinals do not make the playoffs without Pujols. Pujols carried the team offensively until the Cardinals acquired Matt Holliday in a mid-season trade with the Oakland A's. On to the American League.

The race for American League MVP is tighter since there are more candidates for the award. Out of the top four candidates of Joe Mauer, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Kendry Morales, I believe the winner will be Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins.

Mauer led the league with a .365 batting average while hitting career highs of 28hrs and 96rbi. Mauer scored 94 runs, hit 30 doubles, 1 triple, walking 90 times (14 intentional) while striking out 63 times earning the American League Silver Slugger for a Catcher for the 2nd consecutive year. Mauer led the American League with an OPS of 1.031 (.587 SLG% and .444 OBP%) and was only second to Albert Pujols in the entire league. Defensively, Mauer threw out 26% of potential base stealers (19 of 54) while committing only 3 errors and 9 passed balls winning the American League Gold Glove for catchers for the 2nd consecutive year.

Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees batted .334 with 18hrs and 66rbi. Jeter scored 107 runs, hit 27 doubles, 1 triple, stealing 30 bases and walking 76 times (4 intentional) while striking out 90 times. Jeter earned his 4th consecutive American League Silver Slugger award for a shortstop. Defensively, Jeter had a career year at short committing only 8 errors (down from 12 in 2008 and 18 in 2007) in 150 games earning his 4th American League Gold Glove award (2004, 2005, 2006).

Mark Teixeira also of the New York Yankees batted .292 with a league leading 39hrs (tied with Carlos Peña of the Tampa Bay Rays) and 122rbi. Teixeira scored 103 runs, hit 43 doubles, 3 triples and walking 90 times (9 intentional) while striking out 114 times earning his 3rd American League Silver Slugger (2004, 2005). Defensively, committed 4 errors in 150 games at 1st base for the Yankees earning his 3rd American League Gold Glove award (2004, 2005). Teixeira's defensive prowess added stability to a position that was lacking in the last number of years for the Yankees.

The dark horse in the American League race for MVP is Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Morales was initially seen as a unknown replacement for Mark Teixeira (who signed with the Yankees in the offseason). What the Angels recieved was a future superstar who more than filled Texiera's shoes. In his first full time season in the league, Morales batted career highs of .306, 34hrs and 108rbi. Morales scored 86 runs, hit 43 doubles, 2 triples and walking 56 times (10 intentional) while striking out 117 times. Defensively, Morales committed 8 errors 152 games at 1st base. Morales more than adequately replaced Teixeira in both the lineup and field for the Angels.

Mauer was able to amass career highs while missing the first 5 weeks of the season playing the most demanding position in baseball while playing for a team that year in and year out is mostly devoid of superstar talent (compared to the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels) and adeptly manages a young pitching staff which with a different catcher may not succeed. Mauer also filled the void in the lineup left by the injury to Justin Morneau with three weeks remaining in the season leading the Twins to a 17-4 record to end the season. Even more amazing was that the Twins were coming back from three games down with four to play to force a division tie a dramatic 1 game playoff against the Detroit Tigers to win the AL Central title. Though Jeter and Teixeira were pivotal parts of the World Champion Yankees, Jeter is hindered by having tremendous talent on both the offensive and defensive side of the field. Teixeira on the other hand, had a very slow start adapting to a new enviornment playing in New York and not having the offensive back-up in the lineup until Alex Rodriguez returned from hip surgery in May. With Rodriguez's return, Teixeira saw better pitches and started to produce. Morales shows that he is a superstar in the making and will only get better in a lineup where he will become more prominent with the impeding free agency departure of Vladimir Guerrero. In the end, though Jeter is the sentimental favorite to win his 1st MVP, Mauer will win the award. We'll see who wins after Tuesday the 24th of November.

For more information on these awards and others, please check out the following link: 2009 MLB Awards on MLB.com Any suggestions and comments are always welcome. So feel free to add to this and any other blog posts.