Joe Posnanski on Albert Pujols

No, it doesn't. Not many players post three 1.100 OPS seasons in the span of eight years. Not many guys average 40+ homers while walking more than striking out. Pujols may be juicing and may be inflating his numbers, but it's pretty clear he has exceptional talent for hitting a baseball. He can do things 99 percent of players can't.

 

I just expect some regression in the bigs, especially at 21. Maybe I am wrong.

 

if you believe he is actually 21

 

You should have diminished expectations for rookies. Most of the time there's an adjustment. But most players aren't as skilled as Pujols. He didn't have one flukey season at 21 (or whatever age) and disappear. He has been incredible for eight years running. We're not dealing with a typical player so we shouldn't expect the typical rules to apply.

There are lots of guys still cheating, but there are none putting up Pujols' numbers. So if he is cheating, he's starting from a higher talent point in the first place.

 

As I always point out, this isn't my drug hysteria, so I don't care but, jag, exactly the same thing could be said about A-Rod, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, so what's your point?

 

Buck, find three players with similar Class A to ML numbers.

 

Guys at the extreme end of the bell curve for talent have different expectations and career paths.

Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams, Frank Robinson all hit extremely well at 21.

 

Wait a second...only one person has ever hit in 56 straight games. DIMAGGIO WAS JUICING!!!

 

It was not as a rookie and he had a similar hitting streak in the PCL if I remember correctly.

 

He must have been juicing then too. After all, we can't find three comparable streaks, right?

 

"There are things we do not know about Pujols, things we cannot know, but the question really is this: How much fun is it if you cannot believe?"

I'm sure no one is more aware of what a limb he's out on than Posnanski. The price paid for not being a cynic I guess.

I don't see the Albom comparison. Everyone in Michigan knew what the Fab Five was up to when Albom's sycophantic book came out.

 

There's a big gap between "not being a cynic" and clapping like you're trying to bring Tinker Bell back to life.