Fansided

Angels Albert Pujols is not the worst player in baseball

By Gavin Tramps

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 21: Albert Pujols
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 21: Albert Pujols /
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Every sabermetric evaluation of Albert Pujols shows him in a bad light, but perhaps you should not be too quick to dismiss him from your 2018 fantasy baseball plans.

According to Fangraphs WAR, Albert Pujols has been the worst player in baseball over the last two seasons, a stat disputed by the Angels’ front office.

Whether he is the worst player or the tenth worst player, there is no denying that the Dominican is a fraction of the player who finished in the top-10 of MVP voting for 11 straight seasons.

Some players age better than others. When you see him struggling to reach first base, it is not surprising that Pujols is one of the oldest hitters in the league. He is also one of the slowest, and the 37-year-old is coming off a season where he led the league by grounding into 26 double-plays.

Despite his ongoing issues with Plantar fasciitis, Pujols played in 149 games last season, and only 13 players have had more at-bats over the last four years. He is more durable than you think.

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Over these four years, Pujols has hit 122 home runs with 420 RBI, with only Nolan Arenado, Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarnacion driving in more runs. It is this RBI production that gives Pujols his limited fantasy value.

RBI is a stat despised by sabermetricians, but it is a standard fantasy baseball category and should not be overlooked. Without question, a better player in the Angels’ lineup could drive in more runs, but do not let that detract from the likelihood of Pujols registering another 100-RBI season.

As well as the loss of speed, there is a loss of power, with a worrying trend from 42 home runs in 2015 to 31 in 2016, down to a career-low 23 last season.

His contract is an albatross for the Angels. A useful resolution would be if Pujols sustained an injury which moved him into a coaching role, but unless that happens, Pujols will be rolled out every day, and the Angels will hope that he recaptures his form in their revitalized lineup.

The Angels have gone all-in for 2018. They will have Justin Upton for a full season and solidified their infield with the free agent additions of Ian Kinsler and Zack Cozart. It was the signing of Shoeni Ohtani that makes the Angels one of the most exciting teams to watch at the start of the season.

Unfortunately, the Ohtani acquisition could negatively impact Pujols. The Angels will probably make more moves during the offseason, but currently, it looks like the Japanese phenom will share DH duties with C.J Cron and Pujols. To get Pujols’ bat into the lineup, he will need to play more first base. He only played there six times last season, so for a player visibly struggling for fitness, the additional strain of playing the field is not ideal.

There are reasons to be positive about Pujols’ 2018 outlook. Billy Eppler, the Angels’ general manager, wants an improvement in on-base percentage to be a priority. There is hope that Pujols will regain some speed this offseason, which is not as unlikely as it seems, given that this will be the first offseason for a few years he is not recovering from foot issues. An extra step would certainly help lift his dismal on-base percentage.

Only once in his 16-year career has Pujols suffered from an HR/FB rate below the 12% of 2017. It is not difficult to envisage a few more of the 192 fly balls going over the fence. Suddenly a 30 home run and 100 RBI slugger looks more enticing to fill your corner infield slot.

Next: Is Blake Parker the closer to own in 2018?

If the Angels get close to 162 games from Mike Trout, hitting ahead of Pujols, in their revitalized lineup, then the veteran could provide excellent value for a player that no-one else in your league wanted to draft.

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