The Baseball Nerds

Yeah, he's kinda good at baseball

So this might be a little crazy but I’m going out on a limb, stay with me for a second… I think this Albert Pujols guy might have a future in baseball. I know it’s a little outlandish but I’m sticking to my guns.

Alright that’s enough of that, seriously though Pujols has clearly shaken off any sort of funk he was in during the first half of 2011 and is back to being the Machine at the plate that everyone loves or fears (depending on who you are rooting for). Pujols struggled somewhat in the first month of the season, hitting only .245, which was greatly effected by the .211 BABIP he was sporting. His average bounced back but his power went away in May. His OPS stood around .750 for the duration of the first two months of the season.

After two months Pujols got off the schneid and put together a typical June. A 10/3 BB/K ratio, 8 home runs, and a 1.197 OPS. The rest of the season was just Albert being Albert, (i.e. a hitting machine). Now that they Cardinals completed there amazing run into the playoffs Pujols is in familiar territory, having 278 plate appearances since his rookie year season back in 2001. His OPS through that time frame is 1.037, which includes the 8-for-15 so far in the NLCS against the Brewers, Pujols is a premier hitter and has showcased that more time than not during the post-season.

With the series tied 2-2 against the Brewers, it’s possible that the Cardinals could pull the upset and advance to the World Series. They will need to steal yet another game at Miller Park, after losing game 4 at Busch Stadium. If Pujols and the Cardinals hitters can get to game 7 they will have ace Chris Carpenter taking the mound against Yovani Gallardo.

The Brewers are still The Baseball Nerds pick for the National League representative in the world series, but the Cardinals and Pujols are making it an exciting series no matter what the outcome ends up being.