MVP Profile: Albert Pujols, 2008

First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

Age:  28

8^th season with Cardinals

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 240 

Prior to 2008:

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 for the Cardinals but played his way into the lineup. He started out fast by driving in 27 RBIs in April on the way to batting .329 with a .403 on-base percentage, 47 doubles, 37 home runs, and 130 RBIs. In addition to his hitting prowess, Pujols displayed versatility in filling four positions, primarily appearing at third base, first base, and in the outfield. He received NL Rookie of the Year honors in addition to being an All-Star and placing fourth in league MVP voting. 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 (defense had been considered the weakest aspect of his game in the earliest part of his career). 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 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.

2008 Season Summary

Appeared in 148 games

1B – 144, PH – 4, DH – 3, 2B – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 641

At Bats – 524

Runs – 100 [14]

Hits – 187 [3]

Doubles – 44 [4, tied with Stephen Drew & Aramis Ramirez]

Triples – 0

Home Runs – 37 [4, tied with Ryan Ludwick & Ryan Braun]

RBI – 116 [4]

Bases on Balls – 104 [2]

Int. BB – 34 [1]

Strikeouts – 54

Stolen Bases – 7

Caught Stealing – 3

Average - .357 [2]

OBP - .462 [2]

Slugging Pct. - .653 [1]

Total Bases – 342 [1]

GDP – 16 [19, tied with four others]

Hit by Pitches – 5

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 8 [7, tied with four others]

League-leading int. bases on balls drawn were +15 ahead of runners-up Prince Fielder & Carlos Delgado

League-leading slugging percentage was +.062 ahead of runner-up Ryan Ludwick

League-leading total bases were +4 ahead of runner-up Ryan Braun

Midseason snapshot: 2B – 20, HR – 18, RBI – 50, AVG - .350, SLG – .608, OBP – .466

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Most hits, game – 5 (in 8 AB) at NY Mets 7/26 – 14 innings

Longest hitting streak – 14 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) at Houston 4/9, (in 5 AB) at San Diego 5/19, (in 4 AB) at Cincinnati 8/16

HR at home – 19

HR on road – 18

Multi-HR games – 3

Most RBIs, game – 4 on five occasions

Pinch-hitting – 1 for 2 (.500) with 1 HR, 2 RBI & 1 BB

Fielding

Chances – 1438

Put Outs – 1297

Assists – 135

Errors – 6

DP - 119

Pct. - .996 

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

Silver Slugger

All-Star (Started for NL at DH)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Albert Pujols, StL.: 369 points – 18 of 32 first place votes, 82% share

Ryan Howard, Phila.: 308 points – 12 first place votes, 69% share

Ryan Braun, Mil.: 139 points – 31% share

Manny Ramirez, LAD: 138 points – 31% share

Lance Berkman, Hou.: 126 points – 28% share

(2 first place votes cast for Brad Lidge, Phila., who ranked eighth)

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The Cardinals went 86-76 to finish fourth in the NL Central Division, 11.5 games behind the division-winning Chicago Cubs, while leading the league in hits (1585) and batting (.281). The Cardinals rode an 18-11 April into first place in the NL Central entering May when they fell off the pace. Benefiting from the hitting of Pujols and RF Ryan Ludwick, but hindered by a poor bullpen, the club remained in contention until tailing off during the season’s second half.

Aftermath of 2008:

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 at 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, overcoming a slow first half of the season to hit .270 with 24 home runs, 68 RBIs, a.345 OBP, and a .550 slugging percentage. Upon retirement, for his major league career Pujols batted .296 with 3384 hits that included 686 doubles, 16 triples, and 703 home runs. He scored 1914 runs and compiled 2218 RBIs and drew 1373 walks. His OBP was .374 and his slugging percentage .544. Usually able to make contact during his at bats, his strikeout total of 1404 included no 100-strikeout seasons, a rarity for sluggers in the modern era. With the Cardinals his totals were a .326 batting average with 2156 hits, 469 doubles, 15 triples, 451 home runs, 1349 RBIs, a .417 OBP, a .614 slugging percentage, and 1003 walks drawn. Pujols appeared in 88 postseason games and hit .319 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. An 11-time All-Star, he received six Silver Sluggers. Along with winning three MVP awards, he finished in the top 10 eleven times. 

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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.

Rookie of the Year: Geovany Soto, 2008

Catcher, Chicago Cubs

Age:  25

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 225

 

Prior to 2008:

A native of Puerto Rico, Soto attended the Advanced Central High School in Carolina and was then chosen by the Cubs in the 2001 amateur draft. With a classic stocky catcher’s build, his defensive skills developed more quickly than his batting skills. First assigned to Mesa of the Arizona Rookie League, the 18-year-old hit .260 in 41 games with 16 doubles, one home run, and 20 RBIs. Back with Mesa in 2002, he batted .269 with 10 doubles, three home runs, and 24 RBIs over the course of 44 games. He then appeared in one game with Boise of the Class A Northwest League. In 2003 he played for Daytona of the Class A Florida State League and was a league All-Star as he batted .242 with 16 extra base hits and 38 RBIs. In 2004 Soto advanced to West Tennessee of the Class AA Southern League and again was a league All-Star as he hit .271 with 14 doubles, 9 home runs and 48 RBIs. With Iowa of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2005, he batted .253 with four home runs and 39 RBIs, gaining a late-season call-up to the Cubs, where he went hitless in one pinch-hitting appearance. With Iowa again in 2006, Soto hit .272 with 6 home runs and 38 RBIs. In another late-season call-up to the Cubs, he played in 11 games and batted .200 with two RBIs. Returning to Iowa in 2007, he had an MVP season, hitting .353 with 26 home runs and a league-leading 109 RBIs. Having developed into a solid defensive catcher who now had some batting punch, Soto hit .389 for the Cubs in September and was included on the postseason roster where he appeared in two games in the NLDS loss to Arizona. He entered 2008 as the club’s starting catcher.

 

2008 Season Summary

Appeared in 141 games

C – 136, DH – 3, PH – 6

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Batting

Plate Appearances – 563

At Bats – 494

Runs – 66

Hits – 141

Doubles – 35

Triples – 2

Home Runs – 23

RBI – 86

Bases on Balls – 62

Int. BB – 6

Strikeouts – 121

Stolen Bases – 0

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .285

OBP - .364

Slugging Pct. - .504

Total Bases – 249

GDP – 11

Hit by Pitches – 2

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 5

 

Midseason snapshot: HR – 16, RBI – 56, AVG – .288, SLG – .522  

 

Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) at Pittsburgh 4/10, (in 5 AB) at Colorado 4/23

Longest hitting streak – 8 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. Milwaukee 4/30

HR at home – 11

HR on road – 12

Multi-HR games – 1

Most RBIs, game – 7 at Pittsburgh 8/26

Pinch-hitting – 3 of 5 (.600) with 2 RBI & 1 BB

 

Fielding

Chances – 1071

Put Outs – 1011

Assists – 55

Errors – 5

Passed Balls – 5

DP - 9

Pct. - .995

 

Postseason Batting: 3 G (NLDS vs. LA Dodgers)

PA – 12, AB – 11, R – 0, H – 2, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 1, IBB – 0, SO – 3, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .182, OBP - .250, SLG - .273, TB – 3, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 0, SF – 0

 

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star (Started for NL at C)

13^th in NL MVP voting (41 points, 9% share)

 

NL ROY Voting:

Geovany Soto, ChiC.: 158 pts. – 31 of 32 first place votes, 99% share

Joey Votto, Cin.: 76 pts. – 1 first place vote, 48% share

Jair Jurrjens, Atl.: 34 pts. – 21% share

Edinson Volquez, Cin.: 9 pts. – 6% share

Jay Bruce, Cin.: 7 pts. – 4% share

Kosuke Fukudome, ChiC.: 4 pts. – 3% share

 

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Cubs went 97-64 to finish first in the NL Central Division by 7.5 games over the Milwaukee Brewers while leading the league in runs scored (855), doubles (329), RBIs (811), walks drawn (636), OBP (.354), slugging (.443), and total bases (2475). The Cubs won a second consecutive division title after taking sole possession of first place on July 26 and coasted the rest of the way. Lost NLDS to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 0.

 

Aftermath of ‘08:

An oblique injury limited Soto to 102 games in 2009 and his production dropped off to .218 with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. He improved at bat in 2010 to .280 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs while his season ended in September due to arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Despite spending time on the disabled list again in 2011, Soto appeared in 125 games, the most since his Rookie of the Year season, but batted only .228 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs. He also threw out 26.1 percent of baserunners who attempted to steal against him. Still dealing with injury problems in 2012, Soto was dealt to the Texas Rangers at the end of July. Playing in a total of 99 games he hit .198 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. He appeared in just 54 games with the Rangers in 2013, batting .245 with 9 home runs and 22 RBIs. Two stints on the DL limited Soto to 24 major league games in 2014. He was sold to the Oakland A’s in August and batted .250 for the season. He returned to Chicago as a free agent in 2015, this time with the White Sox. He appeared in 78 games and hit .219 with 9 home runs and 21 RBIs. Defensively he had a .988 fielding percentage and threw out 30 percent of baserunners attempting to steal against him, showing that he still was a capable performer behind the plate. Moving on to the Angels as a free agent, Soto was limited to 26 games due to knee problems in 2016 and had negligible offensive production. Returning to the White Sox in 2017, injuries limited him to 13 games in what was apparently his final major league season. For his major league career, which began with great promise, but fell off due to injuries, Soto batted .245 with 619 hits that included 146 doubles, 4 triples, and 108 home runs. He further scored 308 runs and compiled 361 RBIs and drew 311 walks. With the Cubs he batted .252 with 225 runs scored, 460 hits, 112 doubles, 4 triples, 77 home runs, with 264 RBIs and 243 walks drawn. Appearing in seven postseason games, he hit .150 with a home run and two RBIs. A fine defensive catcher when healthy, he was unable to sustain his early offensive performance.  

 

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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. 

 

Cy Young Profile: Tim Lincecum, 2008

Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

Age:  24 (June 15)

2^nd season with Giants

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 5’11” Weight: 170

Prior to 2008:

Born in Bellevue, Washington, Lincecum was small and wiry growing up. Only 4’11” when he entered Renton’s Liberty High School but was surprisingly strong for his small stature. A growth spurt had him at nearly a foot taller by the time he was a junior and became a varsity pitcher. With a unique windup that resolved in a long stride forward on the mound prior to release, Lincecum compiled a 4-2 record in that first varsity season with a 0.73 ERA and 86 strikeouts over the course of 49 innings. He was 12-1 for a state championship team as a senior and he passed up an offer from the Chicago Cubs, who selected him in the 2003 amateur draft, to attend the Univ. of Washington. He continued his development in college and received the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s best collegiate player in 2006, when he pitched 125.1 innings and posted a 12-4 tally with a 1.94 ERA and 199 strikeouts. He was the tenth overall selection by the Giants in that year’s amateur draft and Lincecum signed for a $2.025 million bonus. Playing for two teams at the Class A level in ’06 he pitched 31.2 innings and went 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 58 strikeouts. He advanced to Fresno of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 2007 and in five games posted a 4-0 record and 0.29 ERA with 46 strikeouts. Called up to the Giants in May Lincecum took over the spot in the rotation of injured RHP Russ Ortiz and compiled a 7-5 tally with a 4.00 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 146.1 innings pitched. Able to throw consistently at high velocity from his odd windup and despite his slender frame, his repertoire included a four-seam fastball, curve, changeup, and slider.

2008 Season Summary

Appeared in 34 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 34

Games Started – 33 [9, tied with ten others]

Complete Games – 2 [6, tied with six others]

Wins – 18 [2]

Losses – 5

PCT - .783 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 1 [7, tied with fifteen others]

Innings Pitched – 227 [3]

Hits – 182

Runs – 72

Earned Runs – 66

Home Runs – 11

Bases on Balls – 84 [7]

Strikeouts – 265 [1]

ERA – 2.62 [2]

Hit Batters – 6

Balks – 2 [5, tied with nine others

Wild Pitches – 17 [1, tied with Manny Parra]

League-leading winning pct. was +.024 ahead of runner-up Brandon Webb

League-leading strikeouts were +59 ahead of runners-up Edinson Volquez, Johan Santana & Dan Haren

Midseason Snapshot: 11-2, ERA - 2.57, SO - 135 in 129.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 13 (in 7 IP) vs. Arizona 7/26, (in 7 IP) vs. LA Dodgers 9/28

10+ strikeout games – 9

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 7 IP) at San Diego 8/1, (in 7.2 IP) at Atlanta 8/17

Batting

PA – 81, AB – 70, R – 7, H – 11, 2B – 1, 3B – 1, HR – 0, RBI – 5, BB – 5, SO – 32, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .157, GDP – 1, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 26

Put Outs – 9

Assists – 17

Errors – 0

DP – 1

Pct. - 1.000

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star

23^rd in NL MVP voting (9 points, 2% share)

NL Cy Young voting:

Tim Lincecum, SF: 137 pts. – 23 of 32 first place votes, 86% share

Brandon Webb, Ariz.: 73 pts. – 4 first place votes, 46% share

Johan Santana, NYM: 55 pts. – 4 first place votes, 34% share

Brad Lidge, Phila.: 10 pts. – 6% share

C.C. Sabathia, Mil.: 9 pts. – 1 first place vote, 6% share

Ryan Dempster, ChiC.: 4 pts. – 3% share

Giants went 72-90 to finish fourth in the NL Western Division, 12 games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

Aftermath of ‘08:

Lincecum followed up with another Cy Young-winning season in 2009 in which he produced a 15-7 record and 2.48 ERA, again leading the NL in strikeouts with 261. “The Freak” was again an All-Star and placed eighteenth in MVP voting. With a fine starting rotation that featured Lincecum, RHP Matt Cain, and LHP Jonathan Sanchez, the Giants won the NL West in 2010 and Lincecum contributed a 16-10 tally with a 3.43 ERA and league-leading 231 strikeouts. He was 3-1 in the postseason, including two wins in the World Series victory over Texas. San Francisco dropped to second place in 2011 and Lincecum’s record fell to 13-14 with a 2.74 ERA and 220 strikeouts, although he was an All-Star for the fourth straight year. Lincecum went 10-15 in 2012 with a 5.18 ERA and 190 strikeouts as the Giants returned to the top of the NL West. He started only one game in the postseason as the club won the NL pennant. Relegated to the bullpen during the World Series sweep of Detroit, he struck out eight of the 16 batters he faced in two relief appearances. He generated another losing record in 2013 at 10-14 although he threw a no-hitter against the Padres at San Diego. His ERA for the season was 4.37 and he struck out 193 batters. In 2014 Lincecum pitched another no-hitter against the Padres, this time at home. Otherwise it was a season that involved more struggles, that eventually forced his move to the bullpen, on the way to a 12-9 record with a 4.74 ERA, 134 strikeouts, and a league-leading 15 wild pitches. He started out well in 2015 but ended up with a 7-4 tally in just 15 starts and a 4.13 ERA. A free agent in the offseason, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels for 2016. He was a disappointing 2-6 for the Angels with a dreadful 9.16 ERA, and spent time back in Class AAA before being let go in August. After sitting out the 2017 season, Lincecum signed with the Texas Rangers in 2018, but went on the disabled list in the spring and never appeared with the Rangers, who released him during the season, thus ending his career. Overall during his major league career, Lincecum produced a 110-89 record with a 3.74 ERA and 1736 strikeouts over 1682 innings pitched. He was 108-83 with the Giants with a 3.61 ERA and 1704 strikeouts. He further compiled 10 complete games that included 7 shutouts and two no-hitters. In 13 postseason appearances he went 5-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 65 strikeouts over 56.1 innings. In addition to two Cy Young Awards, Lincecum was a four-time All-Star.

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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.