How many hits will Albert Pujols get this season?
As the St Louis Cardinals legend breaks into the top ten all-time hit list, we take a look at where he will finish up when his stellar career is over.
In the third game of the Cardinals road series against the Mets on Wednesday, Albert Pujols moved into tenth place on the all-time MLB base hit standings. Due to discrepancies in historical stats, there is still some confusion as to whether he is in sole possession of that spot or if he shares it with Eddie Collins. Some sources place Collins at 3313 career hits, while the official MLB stats list him as having 3314.
Whether Albert Pujols is number ten or joint-ten is a footnote. He will move on, if not in tonight’s game four, then certainly during St Louis’ road trip to Pittsburgh, and be the solitary occupant of that spot. He sits currently only five hits behind Paul Molitor and Carl Yazstremski, who both have 3419 career hits. Before June, Pujols will be close to vaulting into eighth place.
Another eleven hits on and Albert will come into contact with the great Honus Wagner at 3430 and will overtake Derek Jeter, who has 3465 career hits, at some point during the summer.
Of course, this is assuming that he remains healthy and there are no unforeseen slumps in his game, but in all honesty, slumps are not something that Albert Pujols has ever been susceptible to. Throughout his 21-year professional career, he has been so automatic that he has been nicknamed The Machine, and holds a .297 career batting average.
With 500 plate appearances this season, Pujols should get around 115 hits in 2022, and the Cardinals are an organization that seem keen to give him every chance to set all the records that he can. With this kind of production, Pujols will be near the mark set by Tristram Speaker, who hit 3515 base hits in his career. The only question is whether Albert will be just above or just below Speaker in the all time list.
Having confirmed that this will be his final season, Pujols has a slim chance of catching Stan Musial’s 3630, but none whatsoever of getting close to the top three: Hank Aaron (3771), Ty Cobb (4191), and Pete Rose (4256). But no matter. Albert Pujols is already in rarified company.
He is the fourth player to have over 3000 hits and over 600 home runs, joining Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Alex Rodriguez. He is within touching distance of surpassing Barry Bonds as the player to have hit the most home runs off different pitchers. He is currently fifth in the all-time home run list and can conceivably finish in fourth, behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth.
Surrounded on all sides by legends and hall-of-famers, the boy from Santo Domingo who practiced using limes for baseballs and milk cartons for a glove will not be long before joining them. He is a sure-fire first ballot hall-of-famer if there ever was one.
Watch the Cardinals, every chance you get, this season. Whether you are a Cardinals fan or not, especially if you are not. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina are giving us a masterclass in how to play, manage, and read the game. We are in the presence of greatness and when they are gone, it will be a long time before we see it again.