(xpost) Not disagreeing with you, KM, but I'll just say in passing that of the 10,000 things Bill James has said over the years, one that he's never budged an inch on (he often modifies or even completely upends his opinions) is that the idea of one batter providing protection for another is just a myth.
― clemenza, Saturday, 9 September 2017 01:57 (six years ago) link
his bbref war is back below 100 thanks to this season
what a depressing career arc
― ciderpress, Saturday, 9 September 2017 16:55 (six years ago) link
sucks for the angels, too, if they end up missing the playoffs by a game or two. if they had a replacement-level player, they might have made it. but you never know, they might turn it around.
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 9 September 2017 17:36 (six years ago) link
xpost clemenza
you (and bill james) are probably right! i guess the "protection" idea is kind of an old school piece of wisdom that i've always just assumed was correct because it seems intuitive.
― Karl Malone, Saturday, 9 September 2017 19:44 (six years ago) link
If Pujols is the worst player in baseball this year, I'm guessing that Cabrera can't be too far behind.
― clemenza, Saturday, 9 September 2017 19:50 (six years ago) link
cabrera's fall-off this year was so dramatic that i have to think he's got enough left to be a well-above average hitter
― k3vin k., Saturday, 9 September 2017 21:03 (six years ago) link
my BBR search engine isn't cooperating but it appears as though Pujols scored the second-fewest runs in MLB history for a player who had 100+ RBIs. He scored 53 runs.
i know one has little to do with the other but it says something about his inability to get on base or run despite having enough ABs to back his way into 100 ribbies. .
― nomar, Thursday, 5 October 2017 16:45 (six years ago) link
i think fangraphs has him as the worst everyday player in MLB (via EWPod)
― ein Sexmonster (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Thursday, 5 October 2017 16:46 (six years ago) link
there haven't been any rumors or news or anything, but just thinking: is there a chance pujols might retire early? he seems like one of those guys who would feel kind of bad about absolutely crawling to the finish line while being one of the highest paid players on the team. is there precedent for that, for leaving a contract early? i feel like there is, but i can't remember the specific players.
― Karl Malone, Friday, 8 December 2017 02:44 (six years ago) link
steamer is projecting him to be a 99 wRC+ DH next year
― Karl Malone, Friday, 8 December 2017 02:45 (six years ago) link
which would be a big improvement
there was an EW podcast recently where they concluded he will make a graceful exit in mid-2019.
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 December 2017 02:56 (six years ago) link
even if he continues to be awful, though, i can see him sticking around in an attempt to reach 700 HRs or some other round number counting stat.
― Karl Malone, Friday, 8 December 2017 02:58 (six years ago) link
hey, he had an 100 RBI year
― k3vin k., Friday, 8 December 2017 03:11 (six years ago) link
happy 38th
only four years and $114m to go
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 16 January 2018 16:55 (six years ago) link
https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/albert-pujols-and-the-crawl-to-3000-hits/
― k3vin k., Thursday, 3 May 2018 16:20 (five years ago) link
if he finishes this season with the same number of ABs and BA as last season, his career BA will go from .304 to .301
that HOF plaque won't look as good with a .290/.361/.520 slash.
― omar little, Thursday, 3 May 2018 17:49 (five years ago) link
double in the 2nd puts him at 2999
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 May 2018 03:01 (five years ago) link
On the chart in Kevin's link, Beltre probably would've ranked second if not for the injury last year.
― clemenza, Friday, 4 May 2018 03:20 (five years ago) link
Just realised Joey Votto is only 3 years younger than Pujols.
― Van Horn Street, Saturday, 5 May 2018 02:08 (five years ago) link
well, i guess he finally did it.
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Saturday, 5 May 2018 06:01 (five years ago) link
― Van Horn Street, Friday, May 4, 2018 10:08 PM (yesterday)
5 years*
― k3vin k., Saturday, 5 May 2018 18:25 (five years ago) link
Seems apropos that 3,000 was a broken-bat single.
― clemenza, Sunday, 6 May 2018 17:57 (five years ago) link
on the road, in SEA, who then immediately started booing ohtani
the whole thing was kind of sad
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Sunday, 6 May 2018 17:59 (five years ago) link
Breaking fantasy news: Albert Pujols finally drives in a run.
tbh it seems like a very good time for him to hang it up, if the Angels make the postseason he’ll be an albatross. His WAR continues to creep down.
― omar little, Thursday, 24 May 2018 00:30 (five years ago) link
he could suck ass for the rest of the season...or pick up the rest of his $24 million for the year. he'll get to make the same decision every year through 2021
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Thursday, 24 May 2018 01:40 (five years ago) link
he has some stiff competition for worst player this year, though. He's at -0.4 fWAR, but chris davis is somehow already at -1.4 fWAR! ian desmond and dexter fowler have both been godawful, too, and seem likely to continue getting lots of playing time
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Thursday, 24 May 2018 01:49 (five years ago) link
wonder if mike scioscia will be able to sit pujols more often, in general, now that he's reached 3000 (unless we're all supposed to care about reaching 700 or 714 home runs, too)
― obviously DLC (Karl Malone), Thursday, 24 May 2018 01:51 (five years ago) link
how about not batting him 4th
― k3vin k., Thursday, 24 May 2018 02:07 (five years ago) link
Prince Albert Pujols, He Has Obtained positive WAR so far this season!!
0.2 fWAR, 1.0 bWAR.
.257/.293/.437, 17 HRs, 99 wRC+
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 August 2018 06:02 (five years ago) link
he is hovering just above replacement level, at least
he has the slowest sprint speed of any player this year at 22.3 ft/s, which is faster than he was in 2017 when he was also the slowest player, at 21.8 ft/s. he tied for last with victor martinez in 2016.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 August 2018 06:07 (five years ago) link
Was Pujols' 2017 the worst season ever for a player with 100 RBI's?
Dante Bichette had some bad WAR seasons with Coors-inflated numbers, but according to bWAR his defense was the worst part of his game.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Thursday, 2 August 2018 10:59 (five years ago) link
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24270231/mlb-how-shift-ruined-albert-pujols
More hard hit outs than anyone in baseball the past four years, blames the shift, thinks RBIs aren't overrated.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Tuesday, 7 August 2018 20:12 (five years ago) link
Pujols is one of only eight players who have been active over the past 18 seasons
pujols, beltre, utley, bartolo, ...?
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:17 (five years ago) link
sabathia
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:27 (five years ago) link
fernando rodney? he pitched a few games in 2002
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:29 (five years ago) link
ichiro
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:31 (five years ago) link
joaquin benoit
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:34 (five years ago) link
that's 8!
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:35 (five years ago) link
From 2015 to 2018, Pujols has accumulated a whopping 403 hard-hit outs, putting balls in play that travel at least 95 mph. Nobody has more. His average exit velocity is 90.3 mph, ranked fourth among those with at least 1,700 batted balls during that stretch, according to Statcast. His batting average on balls in play is .245, tied for the lowest in the majors among qualified hitters during that time.Pujols shrugs."What can you do, bro?"
Pujols shrugs.
"What can you do, bro?"
wwjvd
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:40 (five years ago) link
yeah that's a pretty pathetic attitude from someone who is too rich to care lol
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:40 (five years ago) link
i like how they paired the article with a sam miller piece explaining how shifts are bullshit
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:42 (five years ago) link
espn, something for everyone
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:42 (five years ago) link
Thinking about that makes Pujols think about all the line drives he has lost up the middle -- guaranteed hits in the baseball game he once knew. He is asked what his batting average would look like if second basemen played their position traditionally and didn't shade toward center field."Between .290 and .300, for sure," Pujols says, who instead sports a .254/.290/.428 slash line "Look at the balls that I'm hitting up the middle, especially this year. Out of those 30 or 40 or 50 balls, give me 25 hits. Add those 25 hits to my .250 batting average, I'd be hitting like .290."
"Between .290 and .300, for sure," Pujols says, who instead sports a .254/.290/.428 slash line "Look at the balls that I'm hitting up the middle, especially this year. Out of those 30 or 40 or 50 balls, give me 25 hits. Add those 25 hits to my .250 batting average, I'd be hitting like .290."
(narrator voice): "he'd be hitting like. 316."
...
(narrator voice): "if you assume he's actually right about losing 25 hits up the middle this year against the shift"
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 8 August 2018 02:47 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwZJR3x9xwI
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 29 August 2018 00:12 (five years ago) link
right after i posted that, he got injured and then underwent season-ending surgery on his left knee. sorry albert.
his line for 2018:
117 G, .245/.289/.411, wRC+ 90, 19 HR, 5.6 BB%, 13.1 K%, -0.2 fWAR, 0.1 bWAR (positive!!)
― Karl Malone, Friday, 31 August 2018 01:35 (five years ago) link
only 3 years left on his contract, after this season
― Karl Malone, Friday, 31 August 2018 01:36 (five years ago) link
he actually injured his left knee in the hardware store
happy 39th
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 22:16 (five years ago) link
sigh... thread:
He’s listed at 38, but I’m pretty sure Albert Pujols is 40. Today @baseballpro, I lay out new evidence (from Pujols’s own mouth), and then dig into why this happens, and why it matters, and what parts of it *don’t* matter much (Free): https://t.co/HGub38otZd— Matthew Trueblood (@MATrueblood) April 24, 2018
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 22:21 (five years ago) link