He stands six foot three inches, weighs 230 pounds and swings a big bat whenever he steps to the plate. A silver chain dangles around his neck right below a nicely-trimmed goatee around his mouth. His jersey is either a bright white or a foggy gray with two red cardinals standing on a bat across the front.
His name is Albert Pujols and many in baseball are hoping he becomes the savior of the most sacred record: most home runs in a career.
The issue of home runs has become a big topic in baseball over the past 20 years.
It began when Mark McGwire broke the single season record for home runs in 1998. Three years later, that record fell to Barry Bonds. Bonds would then go on to own the career home run record in 2007. That record may not stand long either as Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 600 home runs on August 4th, 2010.
Despite the recent rush of home runs, many of those numbers have been looked upon as tainted. McGwire and Rodriguez have both admitted publicly to using steroids. Bonds has said he unknowingly used steroids given to him by his trainer.
With all the cheating and use of steroids, many wonder who can bring honor back to the hallowed career home run record.
The solution: Albert Pujols.
Since entering the league in 2001 at the age of 21, the St. Louis Cardinals slugger has struck home runs with consistency. He has hit 30 or more home runs in each season he has played in and slapped 40 or more dingers in five of those seasons. He is currently on pace this year for his sixth 40-plus home run season and that would put his career total at 406 by season’s end.
Despite such consistency and high home run totals, Pujols will need more to challenge the record. He would practically have to duplicate the same totals he has so far for the next 10 seasons. The 30-year-old superstar will most likely need a few 50 home run seasons to accelerate his totals in fewer years.
If anyone can accomplish that feat though, it is Pujols.
Another reason that many hope Pujols can become the home run king is because of his clean slate. He has never been connected to steroids and has always said he has never used them.
A big reason why the public believes him is in his body type. Rodriguez, Bonds and McGwire were all slim players when they entered the league and ended up becoming extremely bulky later in their career. Pujols has maintained the same body type since entering the league.
With all the drama and fallout from the steroids scandal, the great moments in baseball from the late 1980s through the end of this decade will always appear tainted. Pujols may be clean, but thanks to his peers who have cheated, he will always be connected to the steroid era.
Despite the negativity, the public will hope that Pujols can overcome everything and take back baseball’s greatest record of career home runs from the men who got help illegally in it. Bonds holds the record now and Rodriguez appears on course to be next in line as the home run king.
Hopefully, Pujols will follow after and take the title the way it was supposed to be claimed: cleanly.
