The shift has ruined Pujols

[happybat4]

According to ESPN at least

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24270231/mlb-how-shift-ruined-albert-pujols

 

[Blarg]

They shift the shortstop to shallow left and he throws Pujols out on a hard hit ground ball. It's not his contact or the shift that is his problem.

[Amazing Larry]

We need common sense shift control in this country.

[hangin n wangin]

Delusional.

[red321]

By shift do they mean his age "shifting" forward about 5 years as compared to what he says it is?

[Vlad27Trout27]

well he just needs to hit an slow dribbles to right fight and he'll get singles for day. It's is inability to go to right field that has ruined albert.

[Angelsfan1984]

1 minute ago, Vlad27Trout27 said:

well he just needs to hit an slow dribbles to right fight and he'll get singles for day. It's is inability to go to right field that has ruined albert.

His legs are shot. If he were simply to try and go the other way with it using his arms he's going to hit duck farts to the shifted 1st baseman. He's losing the ability to drive the ball with his lower half. He's using his hips to open up and create torque which is why he's driving the ball into the left side of the infield. Every once in a while he will elevate it and he's strong enough to hit them out. This is what natural decline looks like and what someone would expect a 38 year old to actually play like. You may just be tainted by seeing Bonds and Papi hit more homeruns the older they got. I can promise you that was unnatural.

[Angelsfan1984]

Albert Pujols said he'll know when to retire.

Pujols is under contract through 2021 but insisted that money won't be a factor in whether he continues playing. "The day that I feel like I can't compete in this game anymore, it doesn't matter how much money I'm going to leave on the table," said the former MVP. "To embarrass yourself and not be able to compete—dude, that's not me."

 

The end may actually be coming...

[eaterfan]

The shift can't defense a walk. Pujols BB% has decreased from 14.7% to 4.4% this season.

If Pujols were walking at a 10% clip his OBP would be around a reasonable .340

[GrittyVeterans]

It’s his lack of plate discipline and speed that has ruined him

[Dtwncbad]

The shift makes him swing at pitches outside the strike zone.

[Angel Oracle]

15 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

His legs are shot. If he were simply to try and go the other way with it using his arms he's going to hit duck farts to the shifted 1st baseman. He's losing the ability to drive the ball with his lower half. He's using his hips to open up and create torque which is why he's driving the ball into the left side of the infield. Every once in a while he will elevate it and he's strong enough to hit them out. This is what natural decline looks like and what someone would expect a 38 year old to actually play like. You may just be tainted by seeing Bonds and Papi hit more homeruns the older they got. I can promise you that was unnatural.

This times 10, look at how many XBH's he now has each season.   When you only put up some 55 XBH's a season from 2013-2018, after averaging 83 XBH's per season from 2001-2012, what else is it besides the legs?   Was Arte the only one who didn't understand that 240 lbs. constantly crouching for EVERY at bat through 2011, that it eventually wears the legs down????  

2019 needs to be his last MLB season, playing some 120 games tops.   Forget about catching Mays for 5th spot on the HR list.    

[red321]

19 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Albert Pujols said he'll know when to retire.

Pujols is under contract through 2021 but insisted that money won't be a factor in whether he continues playing. "The day that I feel like I can't compete in this game anymore, it doesn't matter how much money I'm going to leave on the table," said the former MVP. "To embarrass yourself and not be able to compete—dude, that's not me."

 

The end may actually be coming...

My experience has shown that it's a lot easier to theoretically walk away from 30 million dollars* a year than actually do so.

 

 

* objects in this post may be larger than they actually are

[Jeff Fletcher]

19 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Albert Pujols said he'll know when to retire.

Pujols is under contract through 2021 but insisted that money won't be a factor in whether he continues playing. "The day that I feel like I can't compete in this game anymore, it doesn't matter how much money I'm going to leave on the table," said the former MVP. "To embarrass yourself and not be able to compete—dude, that's not me."

 

The end may actually be coming...

I don't think you read the whole story....

Quote

 

Pujols insists he isn't there yet. His lower body has been plagued by injuries, most notably plantar fasciitis. But a healthy offseason has led to 58 starts at first base -- already nearly twice as many as the previous two seasons combined -- and encouraging for the years ahead.

"I think next year is going to be even better," he says, "because now I know I'm able to get back in the gym and know what I need to do to get stronger, especially in my lower half. Because that's the first thing that goes. You talk to any of the players, your lower half is the first thing that goes as you age. And that's the thing that you have to maintain the most. I feel like I still can do this for three more years. And maybe more, who knows?"

 

The whole premise of the story is he's still hitting a lot of balls really hard (which he is). That's why I have trouble believing that he's going to feel he can't play. 

[Dick B Back]

Mang!

 

[Angelsfan1984]

11 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don't think you read the whole story....

The whole premise of the story is he's still hitting a lot of balls really hard (which he is). That's why I have trouble believing that he's going to feel he can't play. 

I didn't read the whole story, just saw that snippet on Rotoworld and they had no link. Thanks for the whole piece 

[UndertheHalo]

Albert being a 50 year old man has ruined Albert.  

[floplag]

36 minutes ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don't think you read the whole story....

The whole premise of the story is he's still hitting a lot of balls really hard (which he is). That's why I have trouble believing that he's going to feel he can't play. 

This.
And as said in other threads hes actually produced this year.  Dont believe me look it up he in the top half statistically in WAR or at least was a week ago when we had this discussion. 
The hate is misplaced.  Hes over payed yes, but hes not under producing, not this year. Hes not vintage Pujols, but if you expected him to be thats a you problem. 

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don't think you read the whole story....

The whole premise of the story is he's still hitting a lot of balls really hard (which he is). That's why I have trouble believing that he's going to feel he can't play. 

The concern though is that he isn't getting a lot of lift on those anymore.   That would seem to explain the huge XBH's drop off after 2012. 

[Jeff Fletcher]

47 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

The concern though is that he isn't getting a lot of lift on those anymore.   That would seem to explain the huge XBH's drop off after 2012. 

Obviously he’s not producing the same because he’s not as good. He hits the ball hard but not as hard and not as far as he used to. 

The question is how he perceives it, not how we perceive it. 

I was replying to the comment that he would walk away. I am skeptical that he’ll feel he can’t play as long as he’s hitting line drives. 

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, floplag said:

This.
And as said in other threads hes actually produced this year.  Dont believe me look it up he in the top half statistically in WAR or at least was a week ago when we had this discussion. 
The hate is misplaced.  Hes over payed yes, but hes not under producing, not this year. Hes not vintage Pujols, but if you expected him to be thats a you problem. 

Huh? The guy has a 95 wRC+ this year, up from 78 last year but still a below average hitter at a premium position. He’s produced 0.0 fWAR, meaning he’s the definition of a “replacement player” — that is a scrub who could be easily replaced by a league minimum minor league veteran. All for the bargain price of $30 million!

I’ve long given up on “vintage Pujols” but we’ve gone from “overpaid but still decent Pujols” (2012-16) to “scrub Pujols” (2017-18) who is very much under-producing relative to his contract and placement as not only a regular but a MOTO.

[m0nkey]

I am still waiting for him to get thrown out by a right fielder at first base. 

[Stradling]

Probably won’t happen Monkey, they play him deep. 

[Blarg]

15 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

All for the bargain price of $30 million!

$27 million. He has $1 million incremental raises until his last season where he will finally see that $30 million number.

[Angelsjunky]

1 minute ago, Blarg said:

$27 million. He has $1 million incremental raises until his last season where he will finally see that $30 million number.

Oh sorry. Completely invalidates my post. He's definitely worth $27 million.