ANAHEIM, California – Albert Pujols woke up from a nap in Arizona last Monday to find hundreds of missed messages and calls on his phone.
While he was sleeping, the Los Angeles Angels slugger’s wife, Deidre, had posted a courtesy post on Instagram about her husband, which was widely interpreted as meaning that Pujols had decided to retire after this season, making his number 21 in the majors.
“Hey, that’s the life we live on social media,” Pujols said with a smile on Saturday. “It’s sad that everyone had to move on.”
The 41-year-old slugger was quick to reiterate what he’s been saying for months: He hasn’t decided whether to keep playing after signing his 10-year $ 240 million contract with the Angels this fall, and he won’t. make or announce a decision until after the season.
“I think our organization, my friends, the people who have followed my career for 21 years, deserve better than just me or she posting on Instagram,” said Pujols in his first spring training talks. “This is disproportionate. My mind isn’t even there. My mind is focused, healthy and hopefully trying to help this club win this year, and that’s it. When I feel at the end of the year, that’s all. i will announce [y] I will go home. But I haven’t even arrived yet. “
The fifth highest home runner in Major League history says he has more pressing concerns on his mind, primarily pursuing his first playoff win with the Angels. Not playing in October will always upset Pujols, who starts the new season with 662 home runs and 2,100 RBI’s, the third most in baseball history.
“I can’t even see [la postemporada]because I get really angry because we should have been there, ”he said.
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Albert Pujols says Angels headquarters has done a good job of putting together a good team with a chance of winning in 2021.
Pujols has at least one more shot at the team success he longs for, alongside Mike Trout, Anthony Rendón and Shohei Ohtani. The 10-time All-Star is in the midst of five consecutive losing seasons and six consecutive seasons outside the playoffs with the Angels, but there is cautious optimism around the big budget franchise heading into manager Joe Maddon’s second season.
Even as Pujols tries to play in 2022, he knows he is nearing the end of the disappointing second act of his career after 11 great seasons in St. Louis. He hit .328 with 445 home runs while winning three National League Most Valuable Player awards for the Cardinals, but has been a .257 hitter with 217 homeruns in nine years in Anaheim.
Last season, Pujols hit .224 with a .665 OPS, both the worst numbers of his two-decade career, playing in just 39 of the 60 games in Los Angeles.
This season also offers clear prospects of less action for Pujols, who has been injury-free and reasonably effective as a fielder at first base for the past two years.
He will certainly split playing time early with Jared Walsh, who hit .337 last September with nine homers and 26 RBI’s in 22 games as a rookie, and Ohtani as the designated hitter for the Halos.
Pujols says he’s okay with whatever role he gets in 2021 from Maddon, who praises the seasoned slugger for his maturity and leadership.
“It will always be a meritocracy, and he gets it,” Maddon said. ‘We’ve had the conversations. Of course he wants to play. Of course, if he’s not playing, he might not like it. He’s connected that way, and that’s how you want him to be. But he understands what’s going on. He accepts it well. No matter what role we give him, I know he will respond well. “