Two-time National League MVP (2005 and 2008), Four-time Silver Slugger award winner (2001, 2003, 2004 and 2008), Seven-time NL All-Star (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008), 2001 NL Rookie of the Year, 2006 NL Gold Glove winner and 2008 Roberto Clemente Award winner.  Pujols also lead the Cardinals to the 2006 World Series Championship.  All of this for the 402nd pick in the 1999 draft.

He’s the first player to have 30 or more homeruns in his first eight seasons.  No one had ever started their career with more than four.  Pujols’ numbers in his first eight seasons speak for themselves…

• .334 average
• 319 home runs
• 977 RBIs
• 947 runs

Pujols is often compared to Ted Williams, but statistically speaking Jimmie Fox might be the most comparable.  Fox had some terrific seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, and reached 500 home runs at age 32, a feat which will be tough to reach for Pujols.

I remember it as if it were yesterday, when Albert Pujols made his debut with the redbirds.  Bobby Bonilla had a hamstring injury forcing the Cardinals to have Pujols on the major league club when he came up as a third baseman.  It wasn’t long before Pujols started to make a name for himself.  In his first week with the club Pujols smashed a homerun and had a couple of doubles along with eight RBIs in a game against Arizona.

It’s been a privilege to watch Albert play for the last eight seasons, and hopefully the Cardinals will put the pieces around Pujols making him want to stay a Cardinal for the rest of his career.  Pujols has made one thing clear, he just wants to win.