The World of Baseball

There have been some great Major League Baseball (MLB) players born in the Dominican Republic. Names like Juan Marichal, Pedro Martinez, and Manny Ramirez come to mind. For what it’s worth, baseball is like a religion in the Dominican Republic. If I had to pick one player to represent this Caribbean island, it would be Albert Pujols. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2001 to 2022.

Pujols had one of the best rookie seasons in 2001. He played like he was a veteran. Pujols hit .329 with 37 homeruns, 130 runs batted in, and 112 runs scored. He won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year and finished 4th in NL MVP voting.

Albert would continue to dominate over the next decade in St. Louis, a great baseball town. He combined great hitting and power to become one of the best hitters of all time. From 2002 to 2011, Pujols averaged 41 homeruns and 120 runs batted in. His batting average during that span was .328.

Pujols won three NL MVPs in 2005, 2008, and 2009. He is 4th all-time in homeruns with 703 and 2nd all-time in runs batted in with 2,218. In my opinion, Pujols is one of the greatest MLB players of all time. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible in 2028.