Former Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman, José Alberto Pujols Alcántara was born on January 16th, 1980 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Albert was born to a softball pitcher named Bienvenido Pujols.
Early Life
Pujols was largely raised by his grandmother, America Pujols, and 10 of his uncles and aunts in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. As an only kid, he was. Softball pitcher Bienvenido Pujols was his father and battled alcoholism. Pujols frequently had to drive his father home after games when he became inebriated. When he was young, Pujols played baseball while using limes as his balls and a milk carton as his glove. In 1996, Pujols, his father, and his grandmother moved to New York City’s Washington Heights, where Pujols saw a shooting at a bodega. They relocated two months later to join some relatives in Independence, Missouri, in part as a result of the incident.
St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) watches after hitting a home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Brendan Donovan and Tommy Edman also scored. It was Pujols’ 700th career home run. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Pujols was twice selected an All-State athlete while playing baseball at Fort Osage High School in Independence. Even though he purposely walked 55 times as a senior, he still hit eight home runs in 33 at-bats. His home run was 450 feet long (140 m).
Career
He received a baseball scholarship to Maple Woods Community College in December 1998, a semester after he had already graduated from high school. Pujols started his lone college season with a grand slam and an unassisted triple play. He batted.461 with 22 home runs while playing shortstop as a freshman before electing to enter the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. Because it was unclear how old he would be, whatever position he would play, and how he would look, few organizations were interested in Pujols. Fernando Arango, a scout for the Tampa Bay Rays, advised his organization to sign Pujols and left his position after Tampa Bay did not do so. Pujols was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 402nd overall choice in the 13th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Pujols initially declined a $10,000 incentive and spent the summer playing for the Jayhawk Collegiate League’s Hays Larks instead (a summer league in the National Baseball Congress). He signed when the Cardinals upped their bonus offer to $60,000 from $40,000. Pujols started out with the Midwest League’s single-A Peoria Chiefs in 2000, where he played third base. He made a bat. 324 in 109 games with 128 hits, 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, and 84 RBI. He was selected for the All-Star team and chosen as the league’s Most Valuable Player. During his time with the Potomac Cannons of the high-A Carolina League that year, Pujols also played 21 games and batted.284 with 23 hits, eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, and ten RBI.
He participated in Major League Baseball for 22 seasons (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals for his first 11 seasons, then spent more than nine seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before spending half a season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was known as “The Machine” or “La Máquina” in Spanish. In 2022, he spent his final season with the Cardinals once more. Pujols was a highly respected hitter who shown a mix of raw power, patience, and the ability to make contact for a long time. He is an 11-time All-Star and was the NL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2005, 2008, and 2009. (2001, 2003–2010, 2015, 2022). He has won six Silver Slugger awards, twice set the NL record for home runs, and also once held the record for hitting average, doubles, and runs batted in (RBIs). Pujols recorded his 3,000th career hit in 2018, making him the 32nd MLB player to do so. In the 2022 season, Pujols became the fourth player with 700 career home runs and rose to second place on MLB’s all-time chart for most career RBIs and total bases.
Recognitions
Only Henry Aaron has more runs batted in and total bases in big league history than Pujols. He and Aaron are the only two players with over 2,200 RBIs on their official records. Babe Ruth has more than 2,200 RBIs, but they are unofficial as he played for six seasons before RBIs were accepted as a metric. Only Stan Musial and Willie Mays have amassed more than 6,000 total bases among players. In terms of doubles and home runs over his career, Pujols is fifth. With 185 assists in 2009, Pujols broke the major league first baseman single-season record.
In August 2022, Pujols turned into the first player at age 42 or older to record four hits and two home runs in a single game. Pujols will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he is eligible due to his career accomplishments. In a survey of all 30 MLB managers in 2008, he was chosen the most feared batter in baseball.
Personal Life
Albert Pujols was married to Deidre Pujols in 2000 but separated in 2022. The two had a daughter named Esther Grace Pujols. Albert has other children namely, Ezra Pujols, Sophia Pujols, Issabella Pujols and Albert Pojuls Jr.
Net Worth
Albert Pujols net worth is estimated to be around $180 million as of 2022.
Source: www.Ghgossip.com
Categories: Biography
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