New Report: Albert Pujols, “I feel healthy 100 percent..."

[UndertheHalo]

I feel like we’ve heard this before.  Like, every offseason before.  Expectations for Albert should be very tempered.  I’ll be satisfied if he’s not a negative WAR disaster again. 

[Troll Daddy]

.357 .462 .653 1.114

[Dick Enberg]

All he has to do is run to 1st base in under 4.5/5 seconds, and his game is improved across the board. His lack of speed on the bases last year destroyed us in so many ways

[Ohtaniland]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don’t understand why people keep thinking Ohtani is going to play 1B. He’s a DH, and before he was a DH, he was an OF. Asking him to learn a new position is a bit much to put on the guy considering you’re already asking him to do something no one has done in 100 years. 

Exactly. Ohtani is a SP / DH and that’s it. Anyone thinking that Ohtani can just walk right in and play first base at a major league level is being unrealistic. If they put him in at any other position they’re taking a stupid risk for injury. It’s not happening.

If Albert can’t handle playing the bulk of the first base duties Scioscia will be left to choose between Milestones or Ohtani at DH. Keep in mind that this issue goes far beyond this season. I don’t envision Pujols playing much first base the next four seasons. 

 

 

[Hubs]

Unless Thaiss really has a power surge, he's not going to be a full time starter in the majors. Not at 1B, as a Catcher his offense would've been fine, but as a 1B, I just don't see it. Yet. He can improve, of course and I am hoping he does.

Pujols will continue to get opportunities for the next several seasons, though I think this is the first year his playing time declines from just having a rest day. He's played except for the one major injury, pretty much every day for his entire Angel and Cardinal Career. He averages 151.5 games a season for his 17 year career, and in his Angels Career, he averages 145 because he missed the last two and a half months the one year. Take that year out and he is right at 151.8 games.

I think he'll play closer to 130-135 games. They will have him off 1 day a week when Ohtani is not pitching and is the DH. When Ohtani pitches in NL parks, he is the starter at 1B. Otherwise, he is the DH when Ohtani pitches.

He will get the vast majority of the starts at 1B versus left handed starters. Valbuena will get the majority of the starts against right handers.

Ohtani also didn't like hitting the day after a start or the day before, but when his start is not followed by an off day, he may hit. I was hedging my bets at playing time for Ohtani, thinking he will play 80-90 games offensively as the DH, but what if he is Matsui and Ichiro combined at the plate? If that happens, he may DH 4 days a week, leaving only 2-3 for Albert. Which means Albert plays 1B, the majority of the time.

So it's all up in the air.

There are 27-ish weeks in the baseball season, with 6 games per week usually. They play some weeks with 7 games obviously but then there are weeks with 5 and there is the All-Star break, etc. But 162/27 = 6 so 6 is the average games per week.

If Albert plays 3 days a week at 1B, and 2 days a week as the DH, and rests one day a week, then he would end up playing 135 games.

And that should have a positive effect on his offense, so I'm saying he hits .270 with a .325 OBP. He'll still hit for power, though with less games played he'll have less opportunities. Still I'm going with a Power Surge and saying 27 HR in 135 games. That would equate to a high .400's slugging percent so I'll say .465. That's a .790 OPS which would tie his 2nd best year as an Angel.

Not bad out of the 5th spot.

 

 

[Chuck]

This guy Mike on Twitter went golfing with Pujols last month and he said Pujols looked great. 

As you can tell in the pics, he does look like he dropped 15-20 lbs. 

 

If you think Albert is playin around this season. He’s not!........... He’s healthy and ready. Don’t sleep on one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen! pic.twitter.com/CLrmc2Ze3b

— Mike Williams (@DirtStar0602) January 29, 2018

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Jeff Fletcher said:

I don’t understand why people keep thinking Ohtani is going to play 1B. He’s a DH, and before he was a DH, he was an OF. Asking him to learn a new position is a bit much to put on the guy considering you’re already asking him to do something no one has done in 100 years. 

I think you misunderstood. I said Thaiss and Ohtani. Matt Thaiss is a 1B, Shohei Ohtani is a DH. 

[Angels#1Fan]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

Man I dont want to be too negative but my hope for Pujols is he guts out a .700 OPS.

If I had to actually bet money on a prediction, I come up with:

.235/.280/.380 for a .660 OPS.

That's 600 at bats, 15 doubles, 25 homers.

Even healthy it seems insane to think he is going to hit better than .235.  He can't run.

His strikeout to walk ratio in his prime was almost 3 to 1.  Now it's 1 to 2.

That's not a health thing.  That's an old hitter than either can't pick up pitches anymore and is guessing or just has no discipline anymore.

I find it almost impossible to believe Pujols could possible put up some of the numbers I am seeing in this thread.

I have loved this guy in his career and have great respect for what he has done, but he is a shell of his former self in every way.  It sucks but thats reality.

Pujols could INCREASE the greatness of his legacy right now (in my book) if he took a clubhouse leadership role as his primary job and professionally accepted a drastically reduced role like 400 plate appearances.

 

 

 

Plus be prepared for Albert to sleepwalk through the first six weeks of the season..he's done..I'd like to be wrong.

[NJHalo]

Had to check what year this was from before I opened the thread.

[Blarg]

28 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

This guy Mike on Twitter went golfing with Pujols last month and he said Pujols looked great. 

As you can tell in the pics, he does look like he dropped 15-20 lbs. 

 

That looks more like 25-30lbs shed. That stomach is flat. 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Blarg

[Chuck]

I'm still holding out hope that he has his best season as an Angel in '18.

If that happens, in addition to having Kinsler, Upton, Cozart and Ohtani in the offensive mix with Trout... dayum son! 

[Stradling]

I know this thread is about Albert being healthy, but that post of Claudes about production versus milestones got me to thinking.  What if Ohtani can’t hit, will we have the same discussion about production versus butts in seats?  I think he will hit, but I am much more confident in his pitching.  Ohtani will create a buzz and we will see a noticeable increase in actual attendance.  

[Hubs]

10 minutes ago, Chuckster70 said:

I'm still holding out hope that he has his best season as an Angel in '18.

If that happens, in addition to having Kinsler, Upton, Cozart and Ohtani in the offensive mix with Trout... dayum son! 

That would be a huge Dead Cat Bounce. But yeah, would be great.

Defensively this is the best team I've ever seen the Angels have. There are no sub-par defenders anywhere. Especially if Pujols was vintage Pujols. Remember he had a Gold Glove in 2010.

Offensively if Pujols say hit like 2011 Pujols for the Cards, although I still think he takes more time off to stay healthy at 135 games. In 2011, he played .299/.366./541 with 29 HR and 37 2B, in 147 games. Knock off 12 games and it's closer to 27 HR and 33 2B, but I'd take that every day of the week.

If he did this, and Trout has the year I'm expecting (I think he will literally dominate this season and post his best year ever, somewhere in the 12-14 WAR range and yes I realize how ridiculous the numbers would have to be for that to happen), watch out for the Angels.

[bloodbrother]

I can see Pujols coming in and doing well the first few months of the season, but I think around late June/July his production starts to nosedive and we get that inevitable story about how he's playing through some lower body ailment. I just don't think the dude's body can withstand the long season anymore at his age

[fan_since79]

16 hours ago, KevinJ14 said:

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

• Albert Pujols is looking to get back to his previous all-world form, or at least closer to it. Pujols was recently quoted as saying, “I feel healthy 100 percent. I haven’t felt like this in five years. I’m ready to play first base shuffleboard.”

https://www.fanragsports.com/inside-baseball-mlb-notes-are-the-brewers-done-dealing/

Fixed.

[Ohtaniland]

1 hour ago, bloodbrother said:

I can see Pujols coming in and doing well the first few months of the season, but I think around late June/July his production starts to nosedive and we get that inevitable story about how he's playing through some lower body ailment. I just don't think the dude's body can withstand ML baseball anymore at his age. 

Fixed

If he can’t perform at a high level then he should recognize that and just leave the game behind. He has plenty of money. I liked St. louis Albert a lot. He won MVP’s and championships. I could care less about nostalgic Albert and his milestones. It’s inevitable that he will directly impact Ohtani’s plate appearances. Scioscia is going to have quite a challenge balancing Pujols’ feelings and Ohtani’s need to get his hacks.

[Revad]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

I know this thread is about Albert being healthy, but that post of Claudes about production versus milestones got me to thinking.  What if Ohtani can’t hit, will we have the same discussion about production versus butts in seats?  I think he will hit, but I am much more confident in his pitching.  Ohtani will create a buzz and we will see a noticeable increase in actual attendance.  

Arte would drop a word I think.

[Tank]

2 hours ago, Stradling said:

I know this thread is about Albert being healthy, but that post of Claudes about production versus milestones got me to thinking.  What if Ohtani can’t hit, will we have the same discussion about production versus butts in seats?  I think he will hit, but I am much more confident in his pitching.  Ohtani will create a buzz and we will see a noticeable increase in actual attendance.  

like any newcomer, he'll either start out hot and cool off as the league figures him out, or start off cold and warm up as he figures out the pitchers. i hate to be capt. obvious, but there really doesn't seem to be a middle ground in these cases.

[T.G.]

The fact remains that he didn't have any surgery this off season for the first time in at least a couple...

I'm hoping for the best.  I hope he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder.  No one here really knows what kind of year he will have.  I'm rooting for him.  I see him feeling great as a good sign.  I'm excited. 

[Docwaukee]

I don't care how good of shape he's in, he won't bounce back if he takes a similar approach to last year.  He absolutely has to have better strike zone management.  Could his lack of discipline be related to injury and being out of shape?  Maybe.  But that's a bit of a stretch.  

Since he's become an Angel, he's forced his at bats.  Getting worse every year with a career worst 5.8% bb rate and second worst 33.9% rate of swinging out of the zone.  Did he press last year?  Or has his bat slowed down to the point where he just can't adjust anymore.  Where he has to commit a bit sooner and therefore fastballs are by him and he's in front of breaking balls.  That's called getting caught in between.  It happens when guys are in slumps usually.  It happened to him all last year.  

Can I be sold that his extra weight made his bat slower?  Maybe.  Or that he was landing on a bad knee or foot?  Maybe.  Or that pitchers could throw him just about anything near the zone and as long as it wasn't dead red he'd get himself out?  sure.  

What I would love to see is him come out and swing less.  Get through mar/apr on a 60-70 walk pace.  Let Zack Cozart, Kole Calhoun and Luis Valbuena drive him in.  Get on base at a .340 clip with 20hrs and that will help the team far more than hitting 30hrs with a .290 obp.  

[GrittyVeterans]

It's been 5 years since Pujols posted a .340 OBP. He was 32 the last time that happened. He's now 38

[Ohtaniland]

Lol

 

 

[eligrba4ever]

Albert feels ready to rip as an Angel for the very first time?

Well, all right then. That's the ticket. 

MVP Express boarding on Track 5.

[Revad]

Your fuckers are like me and hoping for Albert to kick some ass.  It could happen if we all believe.  Ha.

[Hubs]

Honestly just playing half of his total games at 1B increases his WAR by some small amount.

I believe the DH is a -17.5 Run adjustment (for 162 games) and at 1B it's -12.5.