Albert Pujols

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Pujols was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mostly by his grandmother, America Pujols, and 10 of his uncles and aunts. He is an only child. His father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a softball pitcher who struggled with alcoholism. Pujols often had to take his father home when he got drunk following games. Growing up, Pujols practiced baseball using limes for balls and a milk carton for a glove. Pujols, his father, and his grandmother immigrated in 1996 to Washington Heights in New York City, where Pujols witnessed a shooting at a bodega. Partly because of the shooting, they moved two months later to Independence, Missouri, to join some relatives. Pujols played baseball at Fort Osage High School in Independence and was named an All-State athlete twice. As a senior, he was walked 55 times intentionally, but he still hit eight home runs in 33 at-bats. One of his home runs travelled 450 feet (140 m). After graduating from high school a semester early in December 1998, he was given a baseball scholarship to Maple Woods Community College. Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in the first game of his only college season. Playing shortstop, he batted .461 with 22 home runs as a freshman before deciding to enter the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.

In Their Own Story

In his second season, Pujols solidified his status as a generational talent by becoming the first player in major league history to hit over .300 with at least 30 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBIs in each of his first two seasons. He finished second in MVP voting to Barry Bonds, leading the National League in votes for the All-Star Game for eight consecutive years starting in 2003. A defining moment came between July 12 and August 16, 2003, when he recorded a 30-game hitting streak, tying the second-longest in Cardinals history. That same year, he won his first NL batting title with a .359 average, leading the league in runs (137), hits (212), and doubles (51). His power was evident early; on July 20, 2003, he hit his 100th career home run, becoming only the fourth player to reach that milestone in their third season.

Reader's Guide

Pujols was not drafted until the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the 402nd overall pick. He initially turned down a $10,000 bonus and spent the summer playing for the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk Collegiate League. When the Cardinals increased their bonus offer to $60,000, he signed. He began his minor league career in 2000 playing third base with the Peoria Chiefs of the single-A Midwest League. He batted .324 with 128 hits, 32 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs and 84 RBI, in 109 games. He was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and named to the All-Star team. Pujols also played 21 games with the Potomac Cannons in the high-A Carolina League that year, batting .284 with 23 hits, nine doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI. He finished the 2000 season with the Memphis Redbirds in the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL), and after appearing in three regular season games with them, he batted .367 in the playoffs and was named the postseason MVP as the Redbirds won their first PCL title. During spring training in 2001, incumbent first baseman Mark McGwire told Cardinals manager Tony La Russa that if he did not promote Pujols to the major league roster, "it might be one of the worst moves you make in your career." La Russa later recounted the "myth" that Pujols only made the Opening Day roster in 2001 because Bobby Bonilla was injured. According to La Russa, he and the rest of Cardinals management were impressed enough by Pujols that they decided to promote him to the big league club even before Bonilla's injury. Cardinals executive John Vuch backed this up, calling the link between Pujols and Bonilla an "old wives' tale" and stating that the competition for the last roster spot was actually between Bonilla and John Mabry. On Opening Day against the Colorado Rockies on April 2, Pujols became the first major league player born in the 1980s. In that game, he recorded his first career hit, a single against pitcher Mike Hampton in an 8–0 loss. Four days later, he had three hits and three RBI — including his first home run — against the Arizona Diamondbacks' Armando Reynoso in a 12–9 win. On April 9, in his first career home game, Pujols hit a two-run home run in his first at bat against Denny Neagle of Colorado. Through 2015, he was one of three players to hit 20 or more home runs in their rookie year before July,

Did You Know?

• Pujols was a highly regarded hitter who possessed a 'combination of contact hitting ability, patience and raw power.'
• He was the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2005, 2008, and 2009 and is an 11-time All-Star (2001, 2003–2010, 2015, 2022).
• He was a six-time Silver Slugger and won two Gold Glove awards at first base in his career.
• Pujols twice led the NL in home runs and once each in batting average, doubles, and runs batted in (RBIs).
• Pujols surpassed 3,000 career hits, becoming the 32nd MLB player to reach that milestone.