Rookie of the Year: Albert Pujols, 2001

Outfielder/Third Baseman/First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

Age:  21

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 240 

Prior to 2001:

A native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Pujols immigrated to Independence, Missouri with his father and grandmother at age 16. Impressive in high school and after attending Metropolitan Community College – Maple Woods, he was drafted by the Cardinals in the 1999 amateur draft. He spent most of 2000 with the Peoria Chiefs of the Class A Midwest League and batted .324 with 32 doubles, 17 home runs, and 84 RBIs, earning quick advancement to the Carolina League and Memphis of the Pacific Coast League to finish out the year. He primarily played third base in his quick rise through the minors. Entering 2001 he was expected to be a reserve but played his way into the lineup.

 

2001 Season Summary

Appeared in 161 games

3B – 55, 1B – 42, RF – 39, LF – 39, DH – 2, PH – 2

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 676 [17]

At Bats – 590 [18]

Runs – 112 [13]

Hits – 194 [5]

Doubles – 47 [5]

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 37 [11, tied with Brian Giles & Rich Aurilia]

RBI – 130 [5, tied with Jeff Bagwell]

Bases on Balls – 69

Int. BB – 6

Strikeouts – 93

Stolen Bases – 1

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .329 [6]

OBP - .403 [11]

Slugging Pct. - .610 [7]

Total Bases – 360 [7]

GDP – 21 [5]

Hit by Pitches – 9

Sac Hits – 1

Sac Flies – 7 [17, tied with six others]

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 18, HR – 21, RBI – 66, AVG - .323, SLG - .594, OBP - .391

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Most hits, game – 3 on twelve occasions

Longest hitting streak – 17 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Houston 4/22, (in 4 AB) vs. Milwaukee 5/28

HR at home – 18

HR on road – 19

Multi-HR games – 2

Most RBIs, game – 5 vs. Milwaukee 9/18, at Pittsburgh 9/21

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 2 (.000)

Fielding (OF)

Chances – 139

Put Outs – 128

Assists – 6

Errors – 5

DP - 0

Pct. - .964

Postseason Batting: 5 G (NLDS vs. Arizona)

PA – 20, AB – 18, R – 1, H – 2, 2B – 0,3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 2, BB – 2, IBB – 0, SO – 2, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .111, OBP - .200, SLG -.278, TB – 5, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

Silver Slugger

All-Star

4^th in NL MVP voting (222 points, 50% share)

 

NL ROY Voting:

Albert Pujols, StL.: 160 points – 32 of 32 first place votes, 100% share

Roy Oswalt, Hou.: 82 points – 51% share

Jimmy Rollins, Phila.: 44 points – 28% share

Adam Dunn, Cin.: 1 point – 1% share

Bud Smith, StL: 1 point – 1% share

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Cardinals went 93-69 to finish tied for first in the NL Central Division with the Houston Astros, who won the division title due to the head-to-head tiebreaker, thus relegating St. Louis to second place and the Wild Card playoff slot. The Cardinals stumbled in June and were a disappointing 43-43 at the All-Star break. A 12-1 stretch from late August into September that included a no-hitter by rookie LHP Bud Smith pulled the club into contention. In addition to his slugging prowess, Pujols displayed versatility in filling four positions. Lost NLDS to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 3 games to 2.

Aftermath of ‘01:

Playing primarily in left field in 2002 following his outstanding rookie season, Pujols again produced impressively at the plate, batting .314 with a .394 on-base percentage along with 40 doubles, 34 home runs, and 127 RBIs. He placed second in league MVP voting. Settling in at first base in 2003, Pujols was an All-Star for the second time as he topped the National League in runs scored (137), hits (212), doubles (51), batting (.359), and total bases (394). He again was the runner-up for MVP in the NL and received a Silver Slugger. He also proved to be a good fit defensively at first base. The Cardinals topped the NL Central and won the league pennant in 2004 as Pujols again led the NL in runs scored (133) and total bases (389) to go along with 51 doubles, 46 home runs, 123 RBIs, a .331 average,.415 OBP, and a .657 slugging percentage. This time he placed third in MVP balloting. In the postseason Pujols was the MVP of the NLCS win over Houston with his .500 average, 4 home runs, and 9 RBIs in the seven games. St. Louis again won the NL Central title in 2005 but came up short against Houston in the NLCS. Pujols topped the league in runs scored (129) while batting .330 with 41 home runs, 117 RBIs, a .430 OBP, and a .609 slugging percentage. This time he also gained selection as the NL MVP. The Cardinals topped the NL Central in 2006 with a mediocre 83-78 record, which was only the fifth best in the league, and went on to win the NL pennant and the World Series. Pujols had a typically productive season, leading the league in slugging (.671) while hitting .331 with 49 home runs, 137 RBIs, and a .431 OBP. He even received a Gold Glove for his defensive performance at first base while placing second in league MVP voting. In a down year for the team in 2007 in the wake of the improbable championship season, Pujols remained a steady force in the lineup batting .327 with 32 home runs, 103 RBIs, a .429 OBP, and a .568 slugging percentage. He received MVP recognition for a second time in 2008 as he hit .357 with 44 doubles, 37 home runs, 116 RBIs, a .462 OBP, and NL-leading totals in slugging (.653) and total bases (342). Pujols repeated as NL MVP in 2009, leading the league in runs scored (124), home runs (47), OBP (.443), slugging percentage (.658), and total bases (374) while batting .327 with 45 doubles and 135 RBIs. In the field he recorded a record 185 assists at first base. With the Cardinals trying to lock up their star first baseman with a contract extension (which failed) he had another excellent season in 2010, topping the NL in runs scored (115), home runs (42), and RBIs (118) while hitting .312 with a .414 OBP and .596 slugging percentage. He placed second in league MVP voting. The wild card-qualifying Cardinals won the NL pennant and the World Series in 2011 with Pujols contributing 37 home runs, 99 RBIs, a .299 average, .366 OBP, and .541 slugging percentage. He had a three-home run, 6-RBI performance in Game 3 of the World Series against Texas. A free agent in the offseason, he rejected a 10-year, $210 million offer from the Cardinals and signed with the Los Angeles Angels for 10 years and $254 million. Off to a slow start with his new club in 2012 that had home fans booing him, he rallied to finish at .285 with 50 doubles, 30 home runs, 105 RBIs, a.343 OBP, and a .516 slugging percentage. In the offseason he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Pujols followed up with a poor season in 2013 in which a foot injury limited him to 99 games and he hit .258 with 17 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .330 OBP. He was utilized primarily as a Designated Hitter. Pujols performed better in 2014, appearing more regularly at first base and batting .272 with 37 doubles, 28 home runs, 105 RBIs, and a .324 OBP. Hitting well in 2015, Pujols was among the American League’s home run leaders in June and was an All-Star for the only time with the Angels. Although hindered by a foot injury that required offseason surgery, he hit .244 for the year with 40 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a .307 OBP while appearing in 157 games (95 t first base and 62 as a DH due to the foot injury). Primarily a DH in 2016, Pujols batted .268 with 31 home runs, 119 RBIs, and a .323 on-base percentage. He had one last 100-RBI season in 2017 (totaling 101) and his production continued to dwindle until he was dealt to the Dodgers during the 2021 season. A free agent in the offseason Pujols returned to the Cardinals for one last season in 2022 where, with the universal DH now in play, the 42-year-old could continue to contribute with his bat. As of the 2022 All-Star break, his major league totals are a .296 average with 3333 hits that include 678 doubles, 16 triples, and 685 home runs. He has scored 1889 runs and compiled 2170 RBIs and drawn 1361 walks. His OBP is .374 and his slugging percentage is .541. Usually able to make contact during his at bats, his strikeout total of 1380 includes no 100-strikeout seasons, a rarity for sluggers in the modern era. With the Cardinals his totals are a .326 batting average with 2105 hits, 461 doubles, 15 triples, 451 home runs, 1349 RBIs, a .418 OBP, a .611 slugging percentage, and 991 walks drawn. Pujols has appeared in 86 postseason games and hit .321 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. An 11-time All-Star, he has received six Silver Sluggers. Along with winning three MVP awards, he has finished in the top 10 eleven times. 

   

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.      

 

MVP Profile: Barry Bonds, 2001

Outfielder, San Francisco Giants

 

Age:  37 (July 24)

9^th season with Giants

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 185

Prior to 2001:

The son of major league outfielder Bobby Bonds was born in Riverside, California and hit .476 with 14 home runs as a senior at Junipero Serra High School where he also played football and basketball. Initially he was drafted as an amateur by the Giants in 1982 but rejected a $70,000 offer and instead attended Arizona State where he was criticized for being a rule-breaker with a poor attitude as well as lauded for outstanding all-around ability. Bonds was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 1985 amateur draft. He batted .299 with 13 home runs for Prince William of the Carolina League in ’85, moved up to Hawaii in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1986 but was called up to the Pirates after 44 games. He was inserted in center field and batted only.223 but showed flashes of future greatness with 16 home runs, 36 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs in 113 games. Bonds was shifted to left field in 1987 and improved to 25 home runs, 32 stolen bases, and 59 RBIs, and a .261 batting average. The numbers continued to rise over the next two seasons until he broke through with an MVP year in 1990 as Pittsburgh won the NL East. Bonds batted .301 with 33 home runs, 52 stolen bases, and a .301 batting average to go with his league-leading .565 slugging percentage. He was also selected to his first All-Star Game and received a Gold Glove for his play in left field. He finished second in NL MVP voting in 1991 following a season in which he batted .292 with 25 home runs, 43 stolen bases, and 116 RBIs. Pittsburgh again topped the NL East and fell in the NLCS while Bonds hit only .148. It was a similar situation in 1992 as Bonds batted .311 with 34 home runs, 39 stolen bases, and 103 RBIs in his final year with the Pirates. The club won a third straight NL East pennant and lost once more in the NLCS. In three NLCS appearances with the Pirates, Bonds hit only .191 in 20 games with one home run. Having garnered his second NL MVP award in three years he left the Pirates as a free agent and signed a six-year $43 million contract with the Giants. Bonds won his third MVP award in 1993 as the Giants contended and he led the NL with 46 home runs, 123 RBIs, a .458 on-base percentage, .677 slugging percentage, and 365 total bases to go along with a .336 batting average and 29 stolen bases. He continued to be a strong performer, gaining seven consecutive All-Star selections from 1992 through ’98 and six Gold Gloves during the same time span. The Giants reached the postseason only once during that period. Bonds became the second player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season in 1996 and regularly led the NL in walks and intentional walks. Following a 1998 season in which the home run race between Mark McGwire of St. Louis and Sammy Sosa of the Cubs drew headlines, Bonds (who homered 37 times that year) apparently turned to steroid use to improve his already impressive power-hitting. Initially this was problematic in that his 1999 season was limited to 102 games due to a torn triceps that required surgery. He came back with a 49-home run season in 2000.

2001 Season Summary

Appeared in 153 games

LF – 143, DH – 6, PH – 5

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 664

At Bats – 476

Runs – 129 [3]

Hits – 156

Doubles – 32

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 73 [1]

RBI – 137 [4]

Bases on Balls – 177 [1]

Int. BB – 35 [2]

Strikeouts – 93

Stolen Bases – 13

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .328 [7, tied with Sammy Sosa]

OBP - .515 [1]

Slugging Pct. - .863 [1]

Total Bases – 411 [3]

GDP – 5

Hit by Pitches – 9

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 2

League-leading home runs were +9 ahead of runner-up Sammy Sosa

League-leading bases on balls drawn were +61 ahead of runner-up Sammy Sosa

League-leading OBP was +.066 ahead of runner-up Larry Walker

League-leading slugging percentage was +.126 ahead of runner-up Sammy Sosa

Midseason snapshot: HR – 39, RBI - 73, AVG - .305, SLG – .826, OBP – .487

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Atlanta 5/19

Longest hitting streak – 15 games

HR at home – 37

HR on road – 36

Most home runs, game – 3 (in 5 AB) at Atlanta 5/19, (in 5 AB) at Colorado 9/9

Multi-HR games – 10

Most RBIs, game – 5 at Arizona 7/26, at Colorado 9/9

Pinch-hitting – 2 for 5 (.400) with 1 HR & 1 RBI

Fielding

Chances - 260

Put Outs – 246

Assists – 8

Errors – 6

DP – 1

Pct. - .977

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Silver Slugger

All-Star (started for NL in LF)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Barry Bonds, SF: 438 pts. - 30 of 32 first place votes, 98% share

Sammy Sosa, ChiC.: 278 pts. – 2 first place votes, 62% share

Luis Gonzalez, Ariz.: 261 pts. – 58% share

Albert Pujols, StL.: 222 pts. – 50% share

Lance Berkman, Hou.:125 pts. – 28% share

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Giants went 90-72 to finish second in the NL Western Division, 2 games behind the division-winning Arizona Diamondbacks while leading the league in home runs (235). A half-game out of first place on July 29, the Giants stayed close but ultimately fell short.

Aftermath of ‘01:

In the offseason, Bonds was signed to a five-year $90 million deal by the Giants despite being 37 years old. Bonds batted a league-leading .370 in 2002, and also led the NL in walks drawn (198), OBP (.582), and slugging percentage (.799), while also hitting 46 home runs and compiling 110 RBIs. The Giants reached the postseason and he finally got to play in a World Series and hit .471 with four home runs in a losing cause against the Angels. He was the NL MVP a total of seven times, the last in 2004. His career, which became plagued by injuries in its late stages finally came to an end in 2007. Overall, Bonds hit a major league record 762 home runs, 586 of which were compiled as a member of the Giants. He stole 514 bases, 263 with San Francisco, and knocked in 1996 runs, 1440 as a Giant, and batted .298, .312 with San Francisco. He walked 2558 times, 688 intentionally, which are all-time major league records, as well as his single-season highs of 232 total walks and 120 intentional walks in 2004. A 14-time All-Star, the lingering suspicions regarding performance enhancing drugs have thus far kept him from election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player. 

Cy Young Profile: Randy Johnson, 2001

Pitcher, Arizona Diamondbacks

Age:  38 (Sept. 10)

3^rd season with Diamondbacks

Bats – Right, Throws – Left

Height: 6’10” Weight: 225

Prior to 2001:

A native of California, Johnson starred in baseball and basketball in high school. He received a scholarship to USC for both sports and was originally drafted as an amateur by the Braves in 1982, without signing a contract. Johnson spent three seasons playing college baseball and was drafted by Montreal in 1985, this time signing. With his great pitching speed, he moved up quickly through the minor league system, where he worked on his control. Johnson made his first major league appearance with the Expos late in the 1988 season, after having gone 8-7 with a 3.26 ERA for Class AAA Indianapolis, and started four games, compiling a 3-0 record and 2.42 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. Off to an 0-4 start in 1989, “The Big Unit” was traded to Seattle in May and went 7-9 in 22 starts with his new club and had a 4.40 ERA. In 1990, Johnson pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history against Detroit as part of a breakout season in which he compiled a 14-11 record with 3.65 ERA and continued to struggle with his control while leading the AL with 120 walks to go along with 194 strikeouts in 219.2 innings. He was also chosen to his first All-Star game. Continuing to improve, Johnson accumulated over 200 strikeouts for the first time in 1991 (228) and led the league for the first of four consecutive years with 241 in ’92 (the last of three straight seasons in which he topped the circuit in walks). He was again an All-Star in 1993, a year in which he compiled a 19-8 record and was 13-6 during the strike-abbreviated 1994 season. In 1995 the Mariners reached the postseason for the first time in franchise history and Johnson contributed an 18-2 record and AL-leading 294 strikeouts and 2.48 ERA. He received the AL Cy Young Award for his performance. In 1996 major back surgery limited “The Big Unit” to eight games, but he rebounded with a 20-4 record and 291 strikeouts in ’97. With talk of a trade swirling throughout the 1998 season, Johnson got off to a 9-10 record and 4.33 ERA before being dealt to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline. He helped his new club to a division title with a 10-1 record and 1.28 ERA. Entering the free agent market, Johnson signed a four-year contract worth $52 million with the second-year Diamondbacks in 1999. He had an excellent season for Arizona in ’99, posting a 17-9 record while leading the NL in ERA (2.48), strikeouts (364), innings pitched (271.2), and complete games (12), garnering another Cy Young Award. The team topped the NL West, although the Diamondbacks lost to the Mets in the NLDS. Johnson followed up with another Cy Young Award-winning season in 2000, compiling a 19-7 record with 347 strikeouts and a 2.64 ERA for the 85-77 Diamondbacks. He created a productive tandem with RHP Curt Schilling, who was acquired midway through the 2000 season.

2001 Season Summary

Appeared in 35 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 35

Games Started – 34 [4, tied with twelve others]

Complete Games – 3 [7, tied with six others]

Wins – 21 [3]

Losses – 6

PCT - .778 [2]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 2 [3, tied with Randy Wolf, Todd Ritchie & Albie Lopez]

Innings Pitched – 249.2 [2]

Hits – 181

Runs – 74

Earned Runs – 69

Home Runs – 19

Bases on Balls – 71 [20]

Strikeouts – 372 [1]

ERA – 2.49 [1]

Hit Batters – 18 [3]

Balks – 1 [12, tied with many others]

Wild Pitches – 8 [9, tied with six others]

League-leading strikeouts were +79 ahead of runner-up Curt Schilling

League-leading ERA was -0.49 lower than runner-up Curt Schilling

Midseason Snapshot: 11-5, ERA - 2.71, SO - 202 in 132.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 20 (in 9 IP) vs. Cincinnati 5/8 (Tied MLB record)

10+ strikeout games – 23

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 7.1 IP) vs. San Diego 7/24, (in 7 IP) at San Diego 7/18

Batting

PA – 91, AB – 80, R – 2, H – 8, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 2, BB – 3, SO – 38, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .100, GDP – 3, HBP – 1, SH – 7, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 33

Put Outs – 2

Assists – 27

Errors – 4

DP – 1

Pct. - .879

Postseason Pitching:

G – 6 (NLDS vs. St. Louis – 1 G; NLCS vs. Atlanta – 2 G; World Series vs. NY Yankees – 3 G)

GS – 5, CG – 2, Record – 5-1, PCT – .833, SV – 0, ShO – 2, IP – 41.1, H – 25, R – 7, ER – 7, HR – 2, BB – 8, SO – 47, ERA – 1.52, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0 World Series co-MVP

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award

All-Star (starting P for NL)

11^th in NL MVP voting (23 points, 5% share)

NL Cy Young voting:

Randy Johnson, Ariz: 156 pts. – 30 of 32 first place votes, 98% share

Curt Schilling, Ariz.: 98 pts. – 2 first place votes, 61% share

Matt Morris, StL.: 31 pts. – 3 first place, 19% share

Jon Lieber, ChiC.: 2 pts. – 1% share

Roy Oswalt, Hou.: 1 pt. – 1% share

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Diamondbacks went 92-70 to finish first in the NL Western Division by 2 games over the San Francisco Giants. The pitching staff led the league in complete games (12), and fewest hits allowed (1352). A 9-game August winning streak advanced the Diamondbacks from third to first in the division, a position that they never relinquished the rest of the way. Won NLDS over the St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 2. Won NLCS over the Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 1. Won World Series over the New York Yankees, 4 games to 3. In Game 7 the Diamondbacks overcame a 2-1 9^th inning deficit as New York’s star closer Mariano Rivera gave up 2 runs as Johnson, who relieved Series co-MVP Curt Schilling a day after starting and winning Game 6 came away with a 3-2 Series-clinching win. Johnson became the first pitcher since Detroit’s Mickey Lolich in 1968 to win three games in a single Series.

Aftermath of ‘01:

Johnson was recipient of another Cy Young Award in 2002 following a 24-5 tally and 2.32 ERA with 334 strikeouts. The Diamondbacks fell short in the postseason but “The Big Unit” was re-signed. Knee surgery cut short his 2003 season and Johnson dropped to 6-8 with a 4.26 ERA.  Off to a 3-4 start at age 40 in 2004, Johnson pitched a perfect game against Atlanta. He went on to a 16-14 record and 2.60 ERA and league-leading 290 strikeouts. Looking to shed salary in 2005, the Diamondbacks dealt Johnson to the New York Yankees where he won another 34 games over two seasons before returning to Arizona in 2007. Johnson spent 2007 and ’08 with the Diamondbacks before finishing out his career with San Francisco in 2009. For his major league career, Johnson appeared in 618 games, 603 of which were starts, and compiled 303 wins and 166 losses with a 3.29 ERA and 4875 strikeouts, the second highest total in MLB history to date. His record with Arizona alone was 118-62 with a 2.83 ERA and 2077 strikeouts.  He added another 14 wins in the postseason against 18 losses. He compiled five 300-strikeout seasons, was chosen to ten All-Star Games and won five Cy Young Awards (one in the AL and 4 in the NL with the Diamondbacks). Johnson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. His #51 was retired by the Diamondbacks.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.