Fantasy Baseball Cafe Forums

by **Brendon** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 7:49 pm

I don't know if this has been talked about before, but I think that the fact that Albert Pujols' birth certificate says "born 1980" deserves a little examination, given the history of the accuracy of foreign players' listed ages..i.e. Rafael Frucal and Orlando Hernandez. Pujols is arguably the best player in the game and one of the best disciplined players in the history of baseball. He was born January 16, 1980 in the Dominican Republic. Given that this year was his best yet, does anyone think that he could be 26 or 27? It's definitely possible I think. I think about it alot since he's on my keeper team. The truth is that even if he is a few years older than he says, we will still probably see 10 more years of amazing production out of him. I was just wondering if anyone ever thought about how old he really is... thanks for your input!

by **Shitney™** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:11 pm

wow.. if that is true he was born just a day before me...

does that mean i should be in my prime??

by **Absolutely Adequate** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:32 pm

Yeah, I've thought about it. But there's no way to tell right now and it shouldn't be a concern. He keeps himself in good shape and should be fantastic, barring injuries, for the next decade or so.

Certainly nothing to worry about.

by **j_d_mcnugent** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:53 pm

as a cardinal fan, i have heard that question many many times. pujols himself refuses to answer the question anymore because he has been asked so many times.

he came over to the states when he was 16, or so he says. immediately there were some concerns as to his age due to his physical size. the kansas city high school athletic association investigated it as best they could and granted him three years of eligibility for which he only used two. it is possible to pass off an 18 year old as a 16 year old but it would be damn hard to tell someone that a 20 year old was 16 (because that is what you would be saying if you think he is 27).

and ever since he hit the majors with a full head of steam, every one has been accusing him and investigating and found nothing. you would think that with all the attention the issue has gotten over the last seven years someone would have found something if he was lying. that doesnt necessarily mean anything, but since he says he is 23 and no one can find any evidence to the contrary after seven years of looking, i am inclined to believe him.

by **Madison** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:34 pm

I don't have any reason not to believe him. Yes, there were a few doctored birth certificates, but that doesn't lead me to believe that Pujols was one of them. I'm sure that the situation has been looked at very closely.