The Best Hitter In Baseball?
By Justin M | On August 4, 2008 | In Recreation & Sports | Rated 
Coming from a Yankee fan who doesn't think A-Rod is the best.
About the author:
Steele is a huge basball fan. He's always a contender when he's playing the sports pick 'em and always coming up with very interesting sports polls at rootzoo. This man is dangerous when it comes to fantasy football advice, you want him on your side!
About the author:
Steele is a huge basball fan. He's always a contender when he's playing the sports pick 'em and always coming up with very interesting sports polls at rootzoo. This man is dangerous when it comes to fantasy football advice, you want him on your side!
World Series: Game 7, Bottom of the 9th. Bases are loaded with two outs and a full count, you are down by one run with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Who do you want at the plate?
My answer is not Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, or David Ortiz. It is Albert Pujols. Why? Becuase at the end of the day, he's simply the best hitter in the game.
Consider for a moment that over the 7-year career (prior to this season) Pujols has played, he has averaged 40 home runs, 123 RBIs, and a .332 batting average. His WORST season statistically, he "only" hit 32 home runs and drove in 103 and STILL batted .327. He has not gone a season hitting less than 30 home runs, less than 100 RBIs, or less than a .314 batting average.This season, he is on pace for another incredible statistical year, and his strikeout to walk ratio is 35:70! That's one-to-two! Consider this for a moment. For every time he strikes out, he's been walked twice. He was intentionally walked TWICE the other night with runners in scoring position when his team was LEADING. His worst run-production season he crossed home plate 99 times, and he's on pace this season for over 120, which would be consistent with his average or 121 per season. For the past 7 years, he is the most productive hitters at the plate. Period.
Pujols' average OPS (On-base + Slugging) is over 1.0, while his worst OBP was .394. Imagine what he'd do with protection in his lineup? Albert Pujols is the reason the Cardinals won their latest World Series, and is the reason they are a threat year in and year out. Take this year for example: Who is their #1 starter? Do they have one? Who is Pujols' protection in the lineup? Ryan Ludwick, who is having a career year, and is historically known as player who roams from team to team serving the purpose as a utility player. This season he has 25 home runs, why? Because he is batting behind Pujols, who is being intentionaly walked to GET TO Ludwick.
A model of consistency
Does Pujols lead the league in home runs every season? No, not every. Does he hit the most RBI's? Not every season, no. Is he winning a batting title every single season? No, not every season. However, not only does he have a tendency of leading the league in one category or more almost every season, he CONSISTENTY hits for .300+ with around 120 RBIs and 40 home runs. Does ANY other player do that year in and year out? No. Players have peaks. Albert Pujols has consistency. He is almost a LOCK for his average numbers, which are better than that of every single player in the league. Will he be surpassed every so often in a category by SOMEONE in the league? Most likely, but he will always be at the top of the list in EVERY single category for hitting. THAT is why he's the best hitter in the leauge. For the sake of comparison, let's take a look at Alex Rodriguez's batting statistics:
There is no doubt that A-Rod is one of the best hitters as well. Absolutely none. He will most likely break the Home Run record in the next 10 years, and he is a lock for power production. Last season, he hit 54 home runs and drove in 156, absolutely incredible. Definitely one of his best years. HOWEVER, he still struck out 120 times (Pujols has never struck out even 100 times), and hit for a .314 average (Pujols' career WORST average). A-Rod is the perfect example for a peaking player versus a consitent player. Did he have his knocks over the fence? Without a doubt. Did he drive in runs? Absolutely. But consistency is arguable. The season before, 2006, A-Rod hit 35 home runs and drove in 120 runs. Still phenomenal? Of course. Consistent? No.
Let's look at his average numbers:
Over the course of his 13-year career (excluding this season, of course), Rodriguez averages 37 home runs, 100 RBIs, and roughly a .307 batting average. Very impressive. Do they exceed Pujols' numbers in any category? No.
A-Rod's strikeout-to-walk ratio this season so far is 69:40. Pujols has only had one season where he has struck out more than he's walked, and it was 93:69, his worst statistical K/BB season, which is a rather decent ratio by every OTHER player's comparison. A-Rod's statistically worst K/BB season was 1998 where it was 45:121, which is almost 3 strikeouts per walk. Out of Pujols' 7 year career (prior to this season), he has only had two seasons where his OPS was under 1.0 (they were .995 and .997, respectively, which is an incredible OPS). That's 5 out of 7 seasons it was above 1.0. Forgetting A-Rod's first 2 partial seasons, out of the other 12, A-Rod has missed an OPS of 1.0 or above 6 times. He has also missed .900 once, and .990 5 times (Pujols never has).
Enough of the numbers, they get tedious and boring. The fact of the matter is, that as much as I love A-Rod on the Yankees, he simply is not as good a hitter as Pujols. Pujols is also very capable of reaching the 700-plateu as well barring his health. There is no player I'd rather have facing Mo in the bottom of the 9th than Albert, because he simply does is more consistently. He may not have the highest peak, but he certainly does not have a trough, or a low-point. He is the model of consistency, and his average statistics are incredibly high none-the-less. Like Albert himself said after his teammates called him Ichiro (after he went 17 games without a home run), "I'm a line drive hitter with power."
He then hit three home runs in his next four games.
My answer is not Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, or David Ortiz. It is Albert Pujols. Why? Becuase at the end of the day, he's simply the best hitter in the game.
Consider for a moment that over the 7-year career (prior to this season) Pujols has played, he has averaged 40 home runs, 123 RBIs, and a .332 batting average. His WORST season statistically, he "only" hit 32 home runs and drove in 103 and STILL batted .327. He has not gone a season hitting less than 30 home runs, less than 100 RBIs, or less than a .314 batting average.This season, he is on pace for another incredible statistical year, and his strikeout to walk ratio is 35:70! That's one-to-two! Consider this for a moment. For every time he strikes out, he's been walked twice. He was intentionally walked TWICE the other night with runners in scoring position when his team was LEADING. His worst run-production season he crossed home plate 99 times, and he's on pace this season for over 120, which would be consistent with his average or 121 per season. For the past 7 years, he is the most productive hitters at the plate. Period.
Pujols' average OPS (On-base + Slugging) is over 1.0, while his worst OBP was .394. Imagine what he'd do with protection in his lineup? Albert Pujols is the reason the Cardinals won their latest World Series, and is the reason they are a threat year in and year out. Take this year for example: Who is their #1 starter? Do they have one? Who is Pujols' protection in the lineup? Ryan Ludwick, who is having a career year, and is historically known as player who roams from team to team serving the purpose as a utility player. This season he has 25 home runs, why? Because he is batting behind Pujols, who is being intentionaly walked to GET TO Ludwick.
A model of consistency
Does Pujols lead the league in home runs every season? No, not every. Does he hit the most RBI's? Not every season, no. Is he winning a batting title every single season? No, not every season. However, not only does he have a tendency of leading the league in one category or more almost every season, he CONSISTENTY hits for .300+ with around 120 RBIs and 40 home runs. Does ANY other player do that year in and year out? No. Players have peaks. Albert Pujols has consistency. He is almost a LOCK for his average numbers, which are better than that of every single player in the league. Will he be surpassed every so often in a category by SOMEONE in the league? Most likely, but he will always be at the top of the list in EVERY single category for hitting. THAT is why he's the best hitter in the leauge. For the sake of comparison, let's take a look at Alex Rodriguez's batting statistics:
There is no doubt that A-Rod is one of the best hitters as well. Absolutely none. He will most likely break the Home Run record in the next 10 years, and he is a lock for power production. Last season, he hit 54 home runs and drove in 156, absolutely incredible. Definitely one of his best years. HOWEVER, he still struck out 120 times (Pujols has never struck out even 100 times), and hit for a .314 average (Pujols' career WORST average). A-Rod is the perfect example for a peaking player versus a consitent player. Did he have his knocks over the fence? Without a doubt. Did he drive in runs? Absolutely. But consistency is arguable. The season before, 2006, A-Rod hit 35 home runs and drove in 120 runs. Still phenomenal? Of course. Consistent? No.
Let's look at his average numbers:
Over the course of his 13-year career (excluding this season, of course), Rodriguez averages 37 home runs, 100 RBIs, and roughly a .307 batting average. Very impressive. Do they exceed Pujols' numbers in any category? No.
A-Rod's strikeout-to-walk ratio this season so far is 69:40. Pujols has only had one season where he has struck out more than he's walked, and it was 93:69, his worst statistical K/BB season, which is a rather decent ratio by every OTHER player's comparison. A-Rod's statistically worst K/BB season was 1998 where it was 45:121, which is almost 3 strikeouts per walk. Out of Pujols' 7 year career (prior to this season), he has only had two seasons where his OPS was under 1.0 (they were .995 and .997, respectively, which is an incredible OPS). That's 5 out of 7 seasons it was above 1.0. Forgetting A-Rod's first 2 partial seasons, out of the other 12, A-Rod has missed an OPS of 1.0 or above 6 times. He has also missed .900 once, and .990 5 times (Pujols never has).
Enough of the numbers, they get tedious and boring. The fact of the matter is, that as much as I love A-Rod on the Yankees, he simply is not as good a hitter as Pujols. Pujols is also very capable of reaching the 700-plateu as well barring his health. There is no player I'd rather have facing Mo in the bottom of the 9th than Albert, because he simply does is more consistently. He may not have the highest peak, but he certainly does not have a trough, or a low-point. He is the model of consistency, and his average statistics are incredibly high none-the-less. Like Albert himself said after his teammates called him Ichiro (after he went 17 games without a home run), "I'm a line drive hitter with power."
He then hit three home runs in his next four games.