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Albert Pujols beat the Dodgers on Saturday against Rockies Kyle Freeland, a familiar spot for Pujols, 41, against lefties since joining the team. Pujols is having his best season in five years, part rebirth and part placed in the right places to succeed.
When the Dodgers signed Pujols in May, four days after his release from the Angels, expectations were tempered for someone who has hovered at or near replacement level for a few consecutive years. But there was a certain method to the madness.
“We think there is still life at bat,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said on May 17. “There is efficiency in his swing. It has an impact on baseballs.
The Dodgers-Rockies alignments
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Rocky mountains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Rocky mountains |
| RF | Paris | FC | Hampson |
| 3B | Turner | 2B | Rodgers |
| 2B | Muncy (G) | RF | Blackmon (L) |
| 1B | Hills | SS | History |
| SS | Taylor | 3B | McMahon (L) |
| FC | Bellinger (G) | 1B | Cron |
| LF | Pollock | LF | Hilliard (G) |
| VS | Barnes | VS | Nuñez (G) |
| P | Bühler | P | Freeland (L) |
By the time Pujols was signed and first baseman / left Yoshi Tsutsugo traded, the Dodgers’ depth was considerably depleted. Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry were in the middle of a long list of injuries, and Edwin Ríos was out for the year. On the weekend those two deals were made, AJ Pollock stretched his hamstrings and Corey Seager was hit with a hand throw that would end up costing him over two months.
The Dodgers bench substitutes – Luke Raley, Sheldon Neuse and DJ Peters – weren’t cutting him, so literally anyone who could occasionally punish a fastball in the middle would have been welcome. Tsutsugo didn’t perform and has since been kicked off the Triple-A 40-man roster altogether. But Pujols has prosperous.
It’s not just the milestones. This month alone, Pujols hit 6,000 bases overall, played his 3,000th game (counting the playoffs), and even passed Willie Mays in hits (or maybe not, depending on whether Mays scored. 10 shots with the Black Barons of the Negro Leagues of Birmingham (count in his total).
At the start, Pujols played a lot with so many other injuries. He started 10 of his first 15 games with the Dodgers, including six of 11 games against right-handed pitchers. But once Bellinger, McKinstry, and Pollock returned, Pujols settled into a more specialized role.
As of June 2, Pujols started all 10 games against lefties before facing Freeland on Saturday. But against righties during that span, Pujols only started three of 23 games, usually just a start to keep him from going more than about four days without starting.
“This organization had a very good game plan for me,” Pujols said in May. “And at the end of the day, that’s what it was about for me.”
Righties were lethal on Pujols, limiting him to just 10 hits in 50 at-bat, hitting 0.200 / 0.226 / 0.320. But he only had 53 home plate appearances against right-handers, compared to 64 against left-handers. Pujols has fought more favorable clashes this year, which was impossible to do as an everyday player, topping just 40% of home plate appearances against lefties in 2020 with the Angels.
Albert Pujols recently separated from the peloton
| Year | PA vs RHP | RHP% | RHP wRC + | PA vs LHP | LHP% | LHP wRC + |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | PA vs RHP | RHP% | RHP wRC + | PA vs LHP | LHP% | LHP wRC + |
| 2016 | 502 | 77.2% | 106 | 148 | 22.8% | 123 |
| 2017 | 485 | 76.3% | 81 | 151 | 23.7% | 64 |
| 2018 | 374 | 75.1% | 90 | 124 | 24.9% | 82 |
| 2019 | 364 | 66.8% | 81 | 181 | 33.2% | 113 |
| 2020 | 97 | 59.5% | 66 | 66 | 40.5% | 85 |
| 2021 in total | 117 | 56.0% | 43 | 92 | 44.0% | 172 |
| 2021 with LAD | 53 | 45.3% | 50 | 64 | 54.7% | 188 |
Sources: Baseball-Reference & FanGraphs
Putting Pujols in better positions to succeed more often, his seasonal slugging percentage (.454) is his highest since 2016. Counting just his time with the Dodgers, Pujols’s .518 slugging percentage is his best since 2012.
Using Wins Above Replacement, FanGraphs has Pujols at 0.0 over the season – exactly the replacement level, but this is its highest measurement since 2016. With the Dodgers it’s at 0.5 fWAR so far. By reference to baseball, Pujols is at -0.3 WAR for the year, but 0.4 bWAR with the Dodgers, which would be his highest since 2016.
Success against lefties is the basis for Pujols’ numbers this year, but he is also battling them as he hasn’t in quite some time. Pujols on the season has a slugging percentage of 0.655 against lefties, his highest since 2010, when he finished second in the National League MVP vote. He ranks 11th in MLB this year and is bolstered by his slugging data, with his expected slugging percentage of 0.635 against lefties placing 13th in majors.
Since Statcast’s arrival in 2015, Pujols’ most anticipated hit percentage in a season was 0.573, in 2016. No other season was above 0.482 until this year.
With the Dodgers, Pujols is hitting .350 / .391 / .683 against lefties, his six homers trailing Justin Turner by one, in 48 more appearances at home plate. Pujols has an 188 wRC + with the Dodgers against lefties, tying Max Muncy for the team manager.
Bat life, indeed.
Maybe the extra rest helps drive Pujols. But his role in the team is clear and he is good at it.
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