amag
11-13-2002, 06:37 PM
11/11/2002 11:42 am ET
Pujols second to Bonds for NL MVP
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- At some point, Barry Bonds will retire.
For the moment, that looks like Albert Pujols' best chance at a National League MVP award. Because for the second straight year, the Cardinals slugger enjoyed a brilliant season, only to have it overshadowed by the offensive machine that is Bonds.
Pujols came a little closer in 2002 than he did in '01, finishing second in the balloting. He received 26 votes for second, four for third, one for fifth and one for seventh for a total of 276 points. It was the fifth straight year that a Cardinal has finished in the top-five in the MVP vote.
It was a superb follow-up to what may have been the greatest rookie season in history. The intimidating right-handed basher became the first player ever to start his career with back-to-back seasons of 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a .300 batting average. For the record, he also scored well over 100 runs for the second time in as many chances.
The final line was superb: .314, 34 home runs, 127 RBIs, 118 runs, 40 doubles, a .394 on-base percentage and a .561 slugging percentage. Those numbers were a little lower than his 2001 totals across the board, but they're also hard to argue with.
"I would put him right behind Barry Bonds," said Tony La Russa, who was named NL Manager of the Year last week. "I think Barry's an incredible force and their club did qualify for the playoffs. Barry had a monster season for a winning team, so I would say that he's probably the most valuable guy. But I'd put Albert right behind Barry."
Pujols finally settled into a position in his second year in the league, becoming the Cardinals' full-time left fielder after the acquisition of Scott Rolen. He saw a little time at first base even after the deal, and acquitted himself well there.
But while he holds his own defensively, the 22-year-old makes most of his noise with the bat. He became a more complete hitter this year, walking more often and striking out less.
And then there's his consistency. In Pujols' worst month, May, he hit .270 with a .348 on-base percentage and a .456 slugging percentage. He topped a 900 on-base plus slugging percentage in every other month. He had double-digit base hits in every month but May. He drove in 66 runs before the All-Star break, and 61 runs after.
While Jim Edmonds occasionally slumped, J.D. Drew was slowed by a knee injury and Tino Martinez struggled, Pujols just kept hitting. Considering the shattered state of the St. Louis pitching staff early in the year, the Redbirds needed all of his production.
Pujols cranked it up even further when he had RBI opportunities. On top of everything else, he hit .340 with runners in scoring position, slugging .750 with a .448 OBP. He struck out just 12 times in 156 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
"I would like to congratulate Barry Bonds on an outstanding season," Pujols said. "It's an honor to receive recognition for a season's work and have my name mentioned among so many great players."
None of it was good enough to unseat Bonds, of course. The Giants star had a year the likes of which hadn't been seen since Ted Williams' prime. As La Russa noted, when you do that for a playoff team you're going to win the MVP without much question. But Pujols shows no signs of falling off, so one of these years he's likely to bring the hardware home himself.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Pujols second to Bonds for NL MVP
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
ST. LOUIS -- At some point, Barry Bonds will retire.
For the moment, that looks like Albert Pujols' best chance at a National League MVP award. Because for the second straight year, the Cardinals slugger enjoyed a brilliant season, only to have it overshadowed by the offensive machine that is Bonds.
Pujols came a little closer in 2002 than he did in '01, finishing second in the balloting. He received 26 votes for second, four for third, one for fifth and one for seventh for a total of 276 points. It was the fifth straight year that a Cardinal has finished in the top-five in the MVP vote.
It was a superb follow-up to what may have been the greatest rookie season in history. The intimidating right-handed basher became the first player ever to start his career with back-to-back seasons of 30 homers, 100 RBIs and a .300 batting average. For the record, he also scored well over 100 runs for the second time in as many chances.
The final line was superb: .314, 34 home runs, 127 RBIs, 118 runs, 40 doubles, a .394 on-base percentage and a .561 slugging percentage. Those numbers were a little lower than his 2001 totals across the board, but they're also hard to argue with.
"I would put him right behind Barry Bonds," said Tony La Russa, who was named NL Manager of the Year last week. "I think Barry's an incredible force and their club did qualify for the playoffs. Barry had a monster season for a winning team, so I would say that he's probably the most valuable guy. But I'd put Albert right behind Barry."
Pujols finally settled into a position in his second year in the league, becoming the Cardinals' full-time left fielder after the acquisition of Scott Rolen. He saw a little time at first base even after the deal, and acquitted himself well there.
But while he holds his own defensively, the 22-year-old makes most of his noise with the bat. He became a more complete hitter this year, walking more often and striking out less.
And then there's his consistency. In Pujols' worst month, May, he hit .270 with a .348 on-base percentage and a .456 slugging percentage. He topped a 900 on-base plus slugging percentage in every other month. He had double-digit base hits in every month but May. He drove in 66 runs before the All-Star break, and 61 runs after.
While Jim Edmonds occasionally slumped, J.D. Drew was slowed by a knee injury and Tino Martinez struggled, Pujols just kept hitting. Considering the shattered state of the St. Louis pitching staff early in the year, the Redbirds needed all of his production.
Pujols cranked it up even further when he had RBI opportunities. On top of everything else, he hit .340 with runners in scoring position, slugging .750 with a .448 OBP. He struck out just 12 times in 156 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
"I would like to congratulate Barry Bonds on an outstanding season," Pujols said. "It's an honor to receive recognition for a season's work and have my name mentioned among so many great players."
None of it was good enough to unseat Bonds, of course. The Giants star had a year the likes of which hadn't been seen since Ted Williams' prime. As La Russa noted, when you do that for a playoff team you're going to win the MVP without much question. But Pujols shows no signs of falling off, so one of these years he's likely to bring the hardware home himself.
Matthew Leach is a reporter for MLB.com. He can be reached at Matthew_H_Leach@yahoo.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.