Cardinals: Resetting Albert Pujols expectations now that smoke has lifted

Now that the excitement has settled, the St. Louis Cardinals can safely reset their expectations of Albert Pujols.

When Albert Pujols returned to the St. Louis Cardinals, it’s safe to say fans did not know what to expect.

He surely wouldn’t be the athlete who left the organization in 2011 for a new 10-year, multi-million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Would it be a disaster that would just hold back top prospects like Juan Yepez or Nolan Gorman? Or would it be better than anyone could have hoped for?

So far, it has been better than anyone could have anticipated.

Pujols is hitting .333/.412/.733 with a +220 wRC, per Fangraphs. In four games, he’s had 17 plate appearances, which have included five hits and two monstrous home runs. He now has a career total of 681 home runs.

Here is the 681st home run from Sunday afternoon’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers:

Albert Pujols has given the Cardinals everything they could have hoped

He has been the designated hitter during the games in which the Cardinals have faced left-handed pitching. But manager Oliver Marmol has said that who plays in a game is all dependent upon match-ups. This suggests Marmol wouldn’t hesitate to put Pujols in the designated hitter role if the matchup against a right-hander indicated he would be successful.

At his current hitting rate, many of the records he could break seem within reach. Plus, there are some ballparks you just want to see Pujols hit in. And seeing the way Pujols is hitting during the first two weeks of the season, you just have to believe it’s possible he will get those opportunities.

It may seem an exaggeration as Pujols has only played in four games in 2022, but these records all seem doable and then some.

For now, of course.

Yes, Pujols is not the athlete fans saw 10 years ago. But he is still Albert Pujols. Plus, he appears to have had a significant weight loss during the offseason and he is running better than many thought he would. He may be 42 years old but he still has that edge that has carried him through his 22-season career.

He is 19 away from hitting 700 home runs. He is 15 homers away from Alex Rodriguez’s 696 homers. With 3,306 career hits, Pujols is seven away from tenth on the all-time hits list with Eddie Collins. With 6,053 career total bases, he is 13 away from Willie Mays at third all-time.

The only really questionable thing Pujols has done since his return to the Cardinals was getting caught stealing third base. In the past, Pujols has had the green light to run if he sees an opportunity. Pujols obviously was tripped up on what he thought he saw. It was, however, the first time since 2015 that he had been caught stealing a base. I doubt he tries that again unless there is no question he wouldn’t get caught.

Yes, Albert Pujols is older. He did arrive with the team in great shape. Coming back to St. Louis and putting on the Cardinals jersey does seem to have rejuvenated him. All signs point to him doing better than anyone anticipated.

Yes, it is early, but Pujols’s numbers should be better than many were anticipating.