After signing a one-year, $2.5 million contract to return to the St. Louis Cardinals, Albert Pujols announced: “This is it for me.”
In 2021 with the Angels and Dodgers, he hit 17 homers in 109 games to bring him within 21 HRs of the 700 club.
The surefire Hall of Famer will already go down as one of the best hitters of all time — but can he end his career with a milestone only achieved by Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth?
- Pujols is 42 and hasn’t hit 20+ home runs since 2019; Baseball Reference projects 16 home runs in 2022.
- He’s currently fifth all-time in HRs (679), 17 behind Alex Rodriguez.
- Pujols is third all-time in RBI (2,150), just 64 behind Ruth, ninth in runs created (2,243), and 12th in hits (3,301).
- He’s a three-time MVP, 10-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger winner, and two-time World Series champion.
In 2004, the Cardinals made him just the ninth $100 million player in the league, and in 2011, he signed a 10-year, $240 million deal — making him the second player in MLB history to sign a $200 million contract.
Pujols has earned more than $344 million over the course of his career, and his net worth ($170M) is the fourth-highest among active and retired players.
