Pujols takes aim at 700 HRs
Slugger thinks big as he nears 600 milestone
When Manny Ramirez was approaching his 500th career home run in 2008, he deflected attention on the milestone by saying he was shooting for 600.
Fellow Dominican Albert Pujols is taking a similar tack as he closes in on becoming the ninth player to hit 600 homers. The figure eluded Ramirez by 45, but Pujols is only four short and has loftier achievements in mind.
“You set goals every year, the first one being winning the World Series and having a good season,” Pujols told USA TODAY Sports in a Spanish-language conversation. “So it’s at the end of your career that you can analyze what you have accomplished. I have four years left on my contract. If I stay healthy, I have a good chance to reach 700. Who knows?”
It was only three years ago Pujols was mounting his charge on 500, and moving so quickly to the next round number serves as testament to his continued ability to produce the long ball. His average of 33 home runs over the last three seasons — 10th best in the majors — is four below his career norm of 37.
So joining the 700 club — populated only by Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) — seems realistic, but there’s another step he must reach before that, and getting there would give Pujols great satisfaction.
Sammy Sosa, another native of the Dominican Republic, is next ahead of Pujols on the home run list with 609, and he has the record for most homers hit by a player born in Latin America. Pujols will soon be angling for that mark.
“For me, it’s a source of pride and a blessing not just to represent the Angels but to know 11 million people in the Dominican Republic are always supporting my career and all the other Dominicans in the big leagues,” Pujols said. “To me, that’s a blessing.”
Pujols, 37, is clearly not the same hitter who haunted National League pitchers over 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals that yielded three MVP awards, seven trips to the playoffs and two World Series championships.
What he still does almost as well as anybody is send runners home. Even while still searching for his stroke this season, Pujols has driven in 27 runs, tied for sixth best in the American League.
But Pujols is batting .238, which he attributes in part to his offseason workouts being curtailed after December foot surgery and getting a late start on spring training. Perhaps as a result, Pujols has seen a rare spike in his strikeout rate, from just under 10% in his previous 16 seasons to 18.8%.
Pujols has struck out more than 80 times once in his career. Of the 27 batters with 500 career home runs, only Ted Williams, Mel Ott and Aaron struck out at a lower rate than Pujols.