What will it take for Pujols to catch up?

[Laean]

I don't think he's going to get to where he was the past couple year...Just no signs of life yet, and while I think he'll eventually get going, the lineup around him is absolutely putrid, which will limit his runs and rbis...
In short, the guy is ticking me off.

Cue the always clever and appreciated "Drop him" responses.

drop him.

i think roninmedia makes a good point. we all always gave pujols the benefit of the doubt and said pujols is the undisputed #1 pick because he's always good, and not just that but also consistent. everyone knows arod's ceiling is as high as pujols or higher, except he hasn't been as consistent lately. if pujols has a down year this season like arod has, then maybe the #1 spot won't be undisputedly pujols' anymore. maybe it'll be a competition between arod and pujols again like it used to be. or someone else could jump in there like jose reyes.

the only other player besides pujols that we give 100% benefit of the doubt on that he'll be consistent year in and year out is johan santana i think. maybe this is foreshadowing of a deadarm period or TJ surgery for santana in the next couple of years.

[bretnsid]

i'm stuck in the same boat as the other Puhols owners...

my question is, do i Bench him for now until he gets on track?

My AVG it taking a hit from his 0-4 games :(

[firemanx]

is Berkman and Glaus to much to offer for him?

[Field]

May we see a huge regression.. 28 HR, 102 RBI, .285 ish.. Im thinking maybe.. Years past at this point we were talking him being at 15 HR, 40-45 RBI levels

I still think its too early to mark him down for that type of season. Between the oblique injury, team performance, the Hancock situation, and his own troubles at the plate, a lot of things have gone wrong for Pujols. If he goes on a one week tear then it puts him right back at the 40 HR 110 RBI type of season. Obviously this is disappointing for owners who expected an improvement over last years numbers, but I think he will be right around his '05 level with slightly less runs and a lower BA. A good season for anyone else.

[acsguitar]

I don't remember who it was but someone during spring training said Pujols looked smaller and he didn't expect him to put up the same #'s

[jealousblues]

I don't remember who it was but someone during spring training said Pujols looked smaller and he didn't expect him to put up the same #'s

yeah, it was one reporter who said that...

but no one else has noticed it.
Bernie Miklasz (stl pd writer) said it was B.S.

[kemper5]

May we see a huge regression.. 28 HR, 102 RBI, .285 ish.. Im thinking maybe.. Years past at this point we were talking him being at 15 HR, 40-45 RBI levels

I still think its too early to mark him down for that type of season. Between the oblique injury, team performance, the Hancock situation, and his own troubles at the plate, a lot of things have gone wrong for Pujols. If he goes on a one week tear then it puts him right back at the 40 HR 110 RBI type of season. Obviously this is disappointing for owners who expected an improvement over last years numbers, but I think he will be right around his '05 level with slightly less runs and a lower BA. A good season for anyone else.

I really do not see him reaching the 05' levels of 41 HR's and 117 RBI. To do that he's have to go 35/105 from here on out and again that's putting up some pretty large #'s starting tomorrow. I dunno, maybe he'll redeem himself and go 6 HR's and 14 RBI for the rest of the month and start up the ole' engine, but Im betting against it.

[pokerplaya]

May we see a huge regression.. 28 HR, 102 RBI, .285 ish.. Im thinking maybe.. Years past at this point we were talking him being at 15 HR, 40-45 RBI levels

I still think its too early to mark him down for that type of season. Between the oblique injury, team performance, the Hancock situation, and his own troubles at the plate, a lot of things have gone wrong for Pujols. If he goes on a one week tear then it puts him right back at the 40 HR 110 RBI type of season. Obviously this is disappointing for owners who expected an improvement over last years numbers, but I think he will be right around his '05 level with slightly less runs and a lower BA. A good season for anyone else.

I really do not see him reaching the 05' levels of 41 HR's and 117 RBI. To do that he's have to go 35/105 from here on out and again that's putting up some pretty large #'s starting tomorrow. I dunno, maybe he'll redeem himself and go 6 HR's and 14 RBI for the rest of the month and start up the ole' engine, but Im betting against it.

I personally think that if anyone can turn it around in a hurry it is Pujols. I do think he can reach 40 HR's, but seeing as how the rest of his team isn't very good, he may not have the RBI's...

[fbc_fan]

the team is essentially the same as last year and he put up his usual amount of R/RBI. that is not to say that the lineup isnt putrid though.

[pokerplaya]

the team is essentially the same as last year and he put up his usual amount of R/RBI. that is not to say that the lineup isnt putrid though.

Yeah, the lineup might have the same players, but the players aren't performing the same way.