He’s not a machine, he’s just the best player baseball has seen in years

In an era of baseball that will forever be remembered for some of its greatest players using steroids, it’s time to start looking towards the future; and the future is St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger Albert Pujols.  Now while anyone with a pulse who follows baseball knows how good Pujols is, he still doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves.  Looking back at the past decade of sluggers, the most notable are Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Mark Teixiera, and more recently, younger players like Adam Dunn, Ryan Braun, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Pena.  In the late 90s, everyone got caught up with McGwire and Sosa racing to see who could inject more steroids in to their ass and translate that in to home runs. That was great.  People couldn’t get enough of it.  And then Bonds comes along and breaks both of their records, and Hank Aaron’s 755 career home runs.  Now, nobody cares. Those three players who were once so much fun to watch will be remembered for deceiving fans who thought they were witnessing something genuine. So who was on deck? A-Rod.  A-Rod was supposed to be the greatest player of his era, and possibly ever.  Hits for power, hits for average, plays great defense.  His only problem? He was on the Rangers, who finished last in their division every year was with them.  So what happened then?  In 2004 he signs the largest contract in sports history at the time to play for the most storied franchise in sports history, the Yankees.  He was the missing piece to the Yankees $200-million puzzle.  After five years, one slap of Bronson Arroyo’s glove, a face-full of Jason Varitek’s glove, a scandal with Madonna, a spread in Details magazine, and a steroid allegation, A-Rod is nowhere close to where many imagined he’d be.  He’s still ring-less and his Cooperstown status has been severely jeopardized. So now that A-Rod can be classified in the same category as Bonds, McGwire, or any other juiced up slugger, please make way for the undisputed king of the MLB.  In his first eight years in the league, Pujols has accomplished more than any of the active players listed above will probably ever do.  And what makes him so special is, in a time where it seems like a great player tests positive for steroids every few months, Pujols is yet to have his name remotely associated with any type of performance enhancing drug.  In his young career of eight seasons he has won the National League MVP award twice, won a Gold Glove,  has a career .344 average, averages 42 home runs per season, and reached 1000 RBIs faster than any player in history besides A-Roid.  And he has a ring.  Barring a positive steroid test, a serious injury or decline, nothing stands in Pujols’ way of cementing himself as one of the greatest to every play the game.  Also, don’t be surprised to see his name above Hank Aaron’s on a certain list for a certain record.  He is the complete package.