Yesterday's news that the Angels were designating future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols for assignment sent a good portion of Cardinals' Nation into a bit of a tizzy.
As soon as the news broke there were fans lobbying for his return to St. Louis despite his struggles the past 5 seasons, including those this season that pushed the Angels to move forward without him.
So, does a return to St. Louis for Pujols really make sense?
Not really. Let me explain...
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The Pujols Perspective
First off, according to Angels' manager Joe Maddon the future Hall of Famer doesn't want any part of a bench role.
"He does not want to be a bench player of any kind." - Joe Maddon on Thursday
That's pretty definitive, isn't it? Now, that's not the same thing as hearing those words directly from El Hombre himself but it makes a lot of sense considering the milestones he'd certainly like to reach.
Pujols is 33 home runs shy of 700 for his career...a number he will never reach if he's stuck in a bench role. He's also 102 RBI away from catching Babe Ruth for 2nd all-time and while there's virtually no chance he could reach either of those in 2021 he could have a shot at both in 2022...if he can play nearly everyday this season.
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Regular playing time certainly isn't going to happen in STL with Paul Goldschmidt playing 1B for 150-155 games.
I'm not sure any team is going to offer that kind of opportunity for Pujols so, if that's the case, maybe he'd consider a bench role in St. Louis as a way to go out on a positive note.
While that would fill the hearts of a lot of Cardinals' fans who would love to see him wear the Birds on the Bat again, does it actually make any sense for the Cardinals?
Is there a fit in STL?
Simply put: not really.
Albert is 1B-only as a National Leaguer and while I totally get the emotional side of wanting to see him in a Cards' uniform again it really is hard to see the fit.
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Check this out:
2019-2021
Albert Pujols: -1.4 WAR, OPS+ 86, .707 OPS
Matt Carpenter: 1.3 WAR, OPS+ 87, .704 OPS
Cards' fans have been screaming about Carpenter's lack of production for more than 2 years and now we want to add the right handed version of him? The advantages Carpenter has over Pujols - at this point in time - are the fact that the Cardinals need some kind of left handed bat on the bench and he plays 1B-2B-3B where Pujols only plays 1B.
How about their 2021 batted ball data, what's that tell us?
Pujols: 90.5 AVG Exit Velocity, 41% Hard Hit Rate, 9.6% Barrel Rate
Carpenter: 94.7 AVG Exit Velocity, 52.9% Hard Hit Rate, 23.5% Barrel Rate
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So, quality of contact goes to Carpenter.
If the argument is that the bench should have BOTH Pujols and Carpenter at the expense of a 5th OF (Lane Thomas at the moment), well, that's not a good idea. Somebody on the bench has to be able to run a little bit, right? In the NL versatility on the bench is a real key and Pujols would limit that.
It would be cool but...
I would love to see Albert in a Cardinals' uniform again. It would be an awesome moment that first time he stepped to the plate, no doubt. The thing is, he hasn't been Albert for a really long time and this is a team that may need to improve the bench as the season goes along rather than limit themselves with an older player that has been below MLB average for 5 consecutive seasons.
The fan in me says "BUT WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME!!!!!!"
The baseball analyst in me says "Not so fast, Sparky. Look at the data."
I want to say it would be a great fit but I'm afraid it's just not a fit from either Albert's perspective (seeking regular PT) or the team's (needing more versatility).
If the Cards do bring him back I'll be rooting for it to work and certainly won't be "mad" about it because I remember what he was like before, I respect the hell out of him and I totally understand what he means to Cardinals Nation.
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