Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is a Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed “The Machine”, he played in the MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals for 11 seasons and the Los Angeles Angels for 10 seasons. With the Cardinals, Pujols was a three-time National League (NL) Most Valuable Player and nine-time All-Star. After joining the Angels in 2012, he made one All-Star appearance, in 2015. 

Pujols was, at the height of his career, a highly regarded hitter who showed a “combination of contact hitting ability, patience, and raw power.” He is a six-time Silver Slugger who has twice led the NL in home runs, and he has also led the NL once each in batting average, doubles, and RBIs. He is significantly above-average in career regular-season batting average (.299), walk rate (10.8 percent), and Isolated Power (.249). With 14 seasons of 100 or more RBIs, he is one of only four players in MLB history to have topped 2,000 RBIs in his career, surpassing Alex Rodriguez for third place on the official all-time list during the 2020 season. Pujols collected his 3,000th career hit in 2018, becoming the 32nd player in MLB history to do so. Pujols also became the fourth player to reach 3,000 hits and 600 home runs, joining Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Alex Rodriguez.

Albert is a devout Christian and says he plays to, “glorify God and to accomplish in this game what everybody wants to accomplish.” Albert and his wife are active in the cause of Down Syndrome, as one of their children is affected by the disease. In 2005, they started the Pujols Family Foundation, dedicated to faith, family, and others.