Cardinals' Albert Pujols shows no complacency in his play; National League Rookie of the Year in 2001 continues to produce as St. Louis' big gun in a powerful lineup - Sophomore Jinx? … Never Heard of It

Baseball Digest, Nov, 2002 by Harvey Fialkov

FOR A YOUNG MAN FROM THE Dominican Republic who grasped English after one year of high school in the United States, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, coming off one of the greatest rookie seasons in baseball history, doesn't seem to know the meaning of complacency or pressure. Or, he just wishes to ignore them.

"Last year I came in trying to make the club, and that's the same attitude I had this year," Pujols said. "There's always someone ready to take your spot. That's how it is and that's how I'll be thinking as long as God lets me play this game. I can't explain it. That's how I am."

Perhaps, that's because Pujols, 22, who after one season of professional baseball entered spring training last year as a nonentity and left it as the Opening Day left fielder. The sinewy, 6-foot-3, 210-pounder led the Cardinals that spring with a .349 average to prompt manager Tony La Russa to create a spot in the batting order for him. It helped that Bobby Bonilla pulled a hamstring.

"He was such an underdog in camp in 2001," said Cardinals pitcher Andy Benes. "Everybody was waiting for him to stop hitting, except he didn't stop hitting until the season was over."

Despite playing four positions (first base, third base' and left and right field), Pujols' mature approach to hitting never waned as the right-handed hitter posted impressive numbers: .329 average, 194 hits, 37 home runs, N.L. rookie-record 130 RBI, 88 extra-base hits and 360 total bases to run away with the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who batted .263 his rookie season with the Cubs, marvels at Pujols' veteran-like ability to adjust in each at-bat.

"He transcends just having a good rookie year," said Brock. "It's one thing to look for the moment, but it's another to be in that moment and know what to do. If he strikes out, he's like a little kid who falls down and thinks it's part of the act, where if an adult falls, he thinks something's wrong. He treats his next at-bat as exciting as the first."

La Russa handed the third base job to Pujols last spring, hoping that would make his followup act smoother.

"Now, he's got one position to concentrate on," La Russa said. "Wherever he was playing he was able to separate that. When it was time to hit, he hit."

The question remained at the start of the 2002 campaign: Can Pujols improve on an inaugural season that compares favorably to Ted Williams' rookie year (.327, 31, 145) or will unrealistic expectations bring on the dreaded sophomore jinx?

"Why do I get that question every day? I don't think there's pressure on me. I played every day last year. I just work hard every day and am happy to be in the lineup," said Pujols last March. In 2001, the strong right-handed slugger became the fourth rookie in major league history and first in the N.L to post at least a .300 average with 30 homers and 100 runs scored.

"Whatever happens, I don't think too much of what I did as a rookie. Right now, I concentrate on what's coming in the future."

With outfielders J.D. Drew and Ray Lankford hobbled by injuries, and home run king Mark McGwire limping to the end of his Hall of Fame career, Pujols carried the Cards to N.L. wild card playoff berth before they fell to the eventual World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks in the division series.

Pujols didn't cave under the pressure of replacing a legend for 31 games at first base. In fact, he helped ease the pain of Cardinals fans and players as they watched McGwire's body and skills erode.

"Nobody's going to walk in this door and make St. Louis fans forget about Mark McGwire," Pujols said. "But we got past that and many other obstacles during the season and kept our concentration on what we had to do on the field."

Most second-year players suffer a falloff because opposing scouts and pitchers are able to compose a detailed report on their weaknesses, another word that's unfamiliar to Pujols.

"If there's a weakness, it'll be exploited pretty quick," Benes said. "As a pitcher, I know if a guy hits the ball in one direction it makes things a lot easier for you, but he hits the ball all over the field with power. He hits guys who throw hard and guys who throw soft."

Former Pirates and Marlins manager Jim Leyland, a spring training coach for St. Louis, didn't believe Pujols had to improve on last year's spectacular debut.

"If he could maintain what he did last year and plays for 15 years, that's Hall of Fame numbers," Leyland said.

Pujols, who recently signed a one-year $600,000 contract, is driven by more than financial gain.

"What motivates me to play more than money is God, my family and my career third," said Pujols, who with wife Diedre are parents to two children.

With the Cardinals lineup stacked from top to bottom, bolstered by the trade for third baseman Scott Rolen from the Phillies at the trading deadline last July, there's no reason to predict that Pujols won't continue to put up productive numbers.

Through August 26, he was hitting .296 with 29 homers, 99 RBI and 96 runs scored.