Albert Pujols

Who is Albert Pujols?

José Alberto Pujols Alcántara, better known as Albert Pujols, is a Dominican-American baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. He stands 6 ft 3 in tall, weighs 230 pounds, and bats and throws right-handed. He previously played 11 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the only player in major league history to record a batting average of at least .300 with at least 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in in his first 10 seasons. He also is the first player to accumulate at least 500 doubles in his first 12 seasons.

Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1996. After one season of college baseball, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft. As a rookie for the Cardinals in 2001, he unanimously won the National League Rookie of the Year Award. He finished second in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2002, and he won the batting title in 2003 after hitting .359. He hit 40 home runs for the first time in his career in 2004 and helped the Cardinals reach the World Series, where they were swept by the Boston Red Sox in four games.