JUPITER, Fla. -- Albert Pujols did us all a favor last month. He gave us a simple, round number that everyone could remember. That would be $100 million, the value of the mega-contract he signed in February. Enjoy it now, because pretty soon he'll get back to putting up, as they sometimes say in baseball, "crooked numbers" on a regular basis.
Numbers like .359, 137, .667 and 114. If you follow the Cardinals regularly, you may have already committed those to memory -- they're Pujols' batting average, runs scored and slugging percentage from last year, and his career homers, respectively. The problem is that soon they'll be joined by even more mind-boggling figures.
Statistically, Pujols resembles no one quite so much as Joe DiMaggio. It's heretical in some quarters to invoke the name of the great Joe D when speaking of a current player. Yet no one since the Clipper has shown such a combination of batting average, power, and low strikeout totals so early in his career.
Pujols -- who at this point lacks a nickname quite as aesthetically pleasing as the Yankee Clipper -- doesn't strike out as rarely as DiMaggio did, but for a power hitter in this era, he makes incredible contact. And he's getting better at it, while drawing a few more walks each year.
Using "similarity scores," a concept introduced by Bill James, it's clear -- no player in baseball history has been more similar to DiMaggio at age 21, 22 or 23 than Pujols. And vice versa.
For what it's worth, here are the 10 players whose career paths most resemble Pujols' at the age of 23: DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Hal Trosky, Joe Medwick, Hank Aaron, Vladimir Guerrero, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Ted Williams and Stan Musial. Eight of those guys are in the Hall of Fame. A ninth one, Guerrero, will probably be by the time he's done.
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Contract reportedly for seven years
ESPN.com news services
The St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols have tentatively agreed to a
seven-year contract for about $100 million, according to a baseball official
with knowledge of the negotiations, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports.
Pujols is scheduled for a Friday arbitration hearing -- he was asking for a
$10.5 million salary and the team offered $7 million -- but the deal is expected
to be announced before then.
Brian Walton of thestlcardinals.com first reported that the two sides had a
tentative deal Wednesday morning. A baseball official confirmed the report for
ESPN.com.
A source also told The Associated Press that the deal is done, contingent on
Pujols taking a physical.
An option for an eighth year could make the contract worth $111 million.
He made $950,000 last season when he finished second behind Barry Bonds in
voting for the NL MVP award.
At 24, Pujols led the major leagues in hitting at .359 last year. He hit 43 home
runs with 124 RBIs and topped the majors with 51 doubles. In three seasons, he's
hitting .334 with 114 homers and 381 RBIs.
St. Louis made Pujols the ninth baseball player to receive a $100 million
contract, the first since Jason Giambi's $120 million, seven-year agreement with
the New York Yankees in December 2001.
Pujols has played only three full seasons, making him the quickest to receive a
$100 million contract. Colorado's Todd Helton signed a $141.5 million, nine-year
extension in March 2001 after three-plus seasons in the big leagues.
"He called me to give me the good news early in the morning," his aunt, Miriam
Pujols, told the AP in the Dominican Republic.
Pujols gets $7 million this year, $11 million in 2005, $14 million in 2006, $15
million in 2007 and $16 million in each of the final three years. The Cardinals
have a $16 million option for 2011 with a $5 million buyout.
St. Louis gets to defer $3 million a year from his 2007-10 salaries without
interest, with Pujols getting $1.2 million a year during 2020-29.
Pujols played a lot in left field last season and also spent time at first base.
He is likely to move to first base full-time this season after Tino Martinez was
traded to Tampa Bay. The Cardinals open spring training Friday in Jupiter, Fla.
Last month, Pujols said he wanted a long-term contract from the Cardinals. Asked
whether he would give the team a break in price, he said no.
"What do you mean?" Pujols said during the Cardinals' annual winter fanfest.
"This is business. There's no break here.
"You try to get what you deserve and that's what I want. I've taken care of my
business in the field the last three years and hopefully I get treated
respectfully, that's all I ask for."
