Albert Pujols - Career BA tracker - 4/30/19 at .302 (Down .003 since last year this time)

[mp170.6]

Milestones like hits, HR's, RBI's, etc are easy to shoot for because all it requires is counting.

Retiring just in time to preserve a .300 batting average is much more complex, and I seriously doubt Pujols is sophisticated enough to plan for that.  This is not some guy who runs Microsoft Excel in the clubhouse forecasting how much more he can suck so people will have a higher opinion of him when he retires.

If anything, he's proud enough of a guy to announce his intent a year in advance so he can have a season-long farewell tour, much like Jeter did.

[floplag]

4 minutes ago, mp170.6 said:

Milestones like hits, HR's, RBI's, etc are easy to shoot for because all it requires is counting.

Retiring just in time to preserve a .300 batting average is much more complex, and I seriously doubt Pujols is sophisticated enough to plan for that.  This is not some guy who runs Microsoft Excel in the clubhouse forecasting how much more he can suck so people will have a higher opinion of him when he retires.

If anything, he's proud enough of a guy to announce his intent a year in advance so he can have a season-long farewell tour, much like Jeter did.

Even if you are right, and i suspect you arent it isnt exactly difficult math, you really think someone in his sphere couldnt assist?  
I dont know that he would want a Jeter like sendoff, hes never struck me as that kind of guy. 

[mp170.6]

1 minute ago, floplag said:

Even if you are right, and i suspect you arent it isnt exactly difficult math, you really think someone in his sphere couldnt assist?  
I dont know that he would want a Jeter like sendoff, hes never struck me as that kind of guy. 

I'm sure his agent could help if he asked for help.

But it goes back to what I wrote above.  People who want to be respected for accomplishments when they retire don't calculate how much room they have for failure to preserve that image.  That's ass backwards thinking. 

[Jeff Fletcher]

I don’t think there’s much calculating to do. I think he can probably get through this year and still be at .300, but not through next year. 

Its not even May. He’s doing OK. But when Ohtani comes back, he’s either going to be on the bench a lot more, which won’t be good for his confidence, or at 1B at lot more, which won’t be good for his legs. The latter could lead to him being on the IL.

By the end of this year, I think we’ll know a lot more about what’s going to happen. 

I can see a situation where he goes to the Angels and says “I get that I’m not helping you so why don’t we announce my ‘shifting role’ or something and you just pay me my salary and I’ll stop taking up a roster spot.”

Sure, the Angels could say: “If you don’t want to play, you retire and then we won’t pay you,” but I can’t see them picking that fight. All Pujols has to do is say “Never mind. You can release me.”

The bottom is line is I don’t believe Pujols will be active all the way through 2021. I also don’t believe that he’s going to give up any significant sum of the money the Angels guaranteed him. There are a lot of ways for both to be true. 

[mp170.6]

13 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

The bottom is line is I don’t believe Pujols will be active all the way through 2021. I also don’t believe that he’s going to give up any significant sum of the money the Angels guaranteed him. There are a lot of ways for both to be true. 

What if he finishes 2020 with ~670-680 homeruns, just shy of A-Rod's 696?

I know it's unlikely, but it's kind of hard to see him retiring, or the Angels releasing him so close to that milestone.

[Second Base]

3 hours ago, True Grich said:

So, here's the thing about Albert that most of you probably would never consider or maybe even understand because of your own perspective.

Albert is strong in his faith.  Have you ever heard the phrase "Not of this World?"  This means that this world and this life has nothing in it that matters more than what waits for a Christian in Heaven.  "Earthly achievements" really don't matter to most Christians.  I assume that's true with Albert - but I don't know him personally and can't say for sure.  Generally speaking - he may appreciate the milestones he has achieved and will achieve - but I doubt (my personal opinion) they matter so much to him that he will base his decisions to keep playing on them. 

This is just another perspective to consider. 

@Second Base would you agree?

 

Everyone is different, Christian or non-believer.  At the end of the day, I don't think Albert has anything he needs to concern himself with or be ashamed of in the game of baseball.  Yeah, it hasn't worked out with the Angels in the same with it did with the Cards.  Over the course of eternity, I don't think such things will matter, but who knows?  I mean he seems to be aware of the milestones so maybe they do matter to him. 

[Second Base]

18 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don’t think there’s much calculating to do. I think he can probably get through this year and still be at .300, but not through next year. 

Its not even May. He’s doing OK. But when Ohtani comes back, he’s either going to be on the bench a lot more, which won’t be good for his confidence, or at 1B at lot more, which won’t be good for his legs. The latter could lead to him being on the IL.

By the end of this year, I think we’ll know a lot more about what’s going to happen. 

I can see a situation where he goes to the Angels and says “I get that I’m not helping you so why don’t we announce my ‘shifting role’ or something and you just pay me my salary and I’ll stop taking up a roster spot.”

Sure, the Angels could say: “If you don’t want to play, you retire and then we won’t pay you,” but I can’t see them picking that fight. All Pujols has to do is say “Never mind. You can release me.”

The bottom is line is I don’t believe Pujols will be active all the way through 2021. I also don’t believe that he’s going to give up any significant sum of the money the Angels guaranteed him. There are a lot of ways for both to be true. 

That's pretty much what I pictured. Albert acknowledging the increasing difficulty based on the aging process, and then Albert going off into the sunset.  Because of the personal services contract attached to the end of the deal, I think he'll still collect his playing salary until that portion of the contract is done, whether he's playing or not. 

[Claude]

$87M > .300 ba

simple math that needs no explanation. 

[beatlesrule]

4 hours ago, Stradling said:

What is the answer?  

That he cares more about money than maintaining a batting avg over 300.

[Chuck]

24 minutes ago, Calzone 2 said:

$87M > .300 ba

simple math that needs no explanation. 

Right. Those records and the .300 don't really matter that much as the guy is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer anyhow. Everything he does now and everyone he passes now in the records books is just gravy. 

I just wonder if the Angels have the conversation with him or if he sets it up a meeting about his future with the Angels. Who's going to make the first move? 

[T.G.]

3 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

Who's going to make the first move? 

C'mon, Chuck!  We all know it all starts with a lunch with @Tank

[Tank]

13 minutes ago, True Grich said:

C'mon, Chuck!  We all know it all starts with a lunch with @Tank

albert and i are way overdue. i'll have my people call him to set up something and then we'll see what's really going on.

[eligrba]

2 minutes ago, Tank said:

albert and i are way overdue. i'll have my people call him to set up something and then we'll see what's really going on.

Be careful of what Albert eats.  He can be gassy. 

[Stradling]

31 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

That he cares more about money than maintaining a batting avg over 300.

Oh so if he plays past this year it is more about money, ok.   He has plenty of money.   He could simply love playing.   

[Claude]

On 4/30/2019 at 2:51 PM, Chuckster70 said:

Right. Those records and the .300 don't really matter that much as the guy is going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer anyhow. Everything he does now and everyone he passes now in the records books is just gravy. 

I just wonder if the Angels have the conversation with him or if he sets it up a meeting about his future with the Angels. Who's going to make the first move? 

I think he’s going to play it out and honor his contract. If he can’t perform the Angels will probably just pay him like the Yankees did with A-Rod albeit respectfully.  He’ll still be with the organization in some capacity. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by Calzone 2

[Tank]

6 hours ago, eligrba said:

Be careful of what Albert eats.  He can be gassy. 

that never happens when you eat oats, kelp, and turmeric in a nice salad.

[arch stanton]

oats, kelp, turmeric, nice

These 4 words never belong together

[ten ocho recon scout]

On 4/30/2019 at 8:43 AM, yk9001 said:

"Here, Mr. Moreno is 50 million of your dollars back.  Im gonna uber to the stadium instead of parking there."

 

 

[GrittyVeterans]

He's batting .211 with an OPS+ of 84 (worse than last year and about the same as what he did in that awful 2017 year). He's walking more but his power is zapped.  He can't run. His defense is meh when he plays the field. I'm not sure why the narrative is that "he's fine" but whatever. 

The Angels can't wait for him to retire, they need to force him out when Ohtani gets back. It will be interesting to see what they do with him

[T.G.]

52 minutes ago, GrittyVeterans said:

 It will be interesting to see what they do with him

He stays in the lineup per Trout's contract.

[Slegnaac]

Rosters expand to 26 next year, he is going to be on it.

[zenmaster]

Down to .301 (.301319) after an 0 for 5 last night. 

[yk9001]

On 4/30/2019 at 11:26 AM, floplag said:

I think those who think the numbers and achievements dont have meaning to the man arent paying attention.  
Just last week when he hit one of the RBI milestones on the broadcast Guby and Rojas even mentioned that he looked emotional over it. 

That's nice.  Good for him.

Too bad we'll never see him get emotional over a playoff win.

[Stradling]

12 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

That's nice.  Good for him.

Too bad we'll never see him get emotional over a playoff win.

Which is totally his fault. 

[fan_since79]

Another question is will he finish his career with a WAR above 100. He's been hovering right around that number for the past four years. At 100.0 now (Baseball Reference)

2016-2019

450 games, WAR 0.1