St. Louis Cardinals: Newly-retired Albert Pujols doesn’t miss baseball one bit
By Mark Powell
Albert Pujols retired from baseball after reaching the 700-home run plateau with the St. Louis Cardinals. He doesn’t miss the game all that much.
Despite playing his final season with the Cardinals, Albert Pujols is in Angels camp, fulfilling his contract with the organization which stole him away from St. Louis. Pujols has a service time obligation to the Angels, and has chosen to take part in the team’s spring training as a special assistant.
It signals a time of transition for Pujols — a player who just last year went on a second-half tear the likes of which no one saw coming — to coaching and mentorship. It’s unclear whether or not Pujols wants to be manager, or just wanted to dip his toe back in baseball, ever so slightly.
“People keep asking me if I miss it,’’ Pujols told USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale. “I don’t miss a freakin’ thing about it. I really don’t. I’ve been playing baseball for 38 years of my life. Seriously, I don’t miss it, dude.”
St. Louis Cardinals: Albert Pujols enjoys life after baseball
There will always be a home for Pujols, either with the Angels or Cardinals, due to his profound impact on the game itself.
Still, the future Hall of Famer knows he could have kept playing. Whether it be in St. Louis or elsewhere, there were interested parties in a man who hit .323 with 18 homers, 48 RBI with a 1.103 OPS in the second half of 2022.
“Can I still do it? Of course,’’ Pujols says. “But I don’t want it. What, chase Babe Ruth next year? Two years later, chase Aaron and then Barry. I’d be an old man chasing people. I never played this game to break records.”
That’s a refreshing take for a man who played a game driven by numbers, records and all-time greats. Getting into Cooperstown is one thing, but breaking the home run mark is another. At 43 years old, it’s unclear exactly how much Pujols had left in him, or if the second half of last year was more of a fluke driven by nostalgia.
One thing is clear about Albert, however: He went out on his own terms.
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