The Los Angeles Angels have designated Albert Pujols for assignment. Pujols, 41, is in the final year of a 10-year contract with the Halos. In 24 games for the Angels this season, Pujols was hitting .198 with 5 HR and 12 RBIs.
Pujols was not the player with the Angels he was with the St. Louis Cardinals where he won three NL MVP awards and two World Series rings in 2006 and 2011. In his first 10 seasons with the Cards, Pujols hit over .300 every year and drove in 100 or more runs and hit more than 40 HR six times. Although Pujols has had four 100 RBI seasons in Anaheim he never hit above .285 and had about half as many home runs as he had in St. Louis (445 vs 222).
Still, Pujols is a first ballot Hall of Famer as he is fifth on the all-time home runs list (667) and third on the all-time RBI list (2112). A player of Pujols' stature should not end his playing career by being designated for assignment. Indeed, it appears he was benched at the request of team ownership rather than by Angels skipper Joe Maddon. He deserves a chance to say goodbye to the fans on his own terms whether it be by returning to St. Louis or reuniting with Tony LaRussa on the South Side of the Chicago.
Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz have all gone out on their own terms. Albert Pujols deserves the same.
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