Man, he looks super young here!
Albert Pujols, wow I mean, this guy was a massively popular player as I grew up, and even as I became a man. I remember when he left the Cardinals, that was a big deal. He did so much for the Cardinals for so many years. From 2001-2012 Pujols won 3x NL MVPs in a Cardinals uniform and he was a huge part of the Cardinals winning the World Series twice.
To be more blunt about Albert, he, individually might have been the best player in baseball in the 2000's.
The guy was just a hitting machine, winning 6x Silver Sluggers and he was the NL batting champion in 2003. Pujols also led the NL in homeruns twice and in RBIs once.
I feel pretty lucky to have watched this man in his prime. It's actually funny I said Albert was a hitting machine because I forgot that his nickname is literally 'The Machine' LOL.
Even up to his final season in 2022, Albert kept the fans entertained. Albert surpassed the SUPER rare milestone of reaching 700 pro homeruns and he retired with 703. That 703 mark puts Albert 4th ALL-TIME in MLB history.
Just put Albert in the Hall now. It's just a formality at this point.
