Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012

The $250 Million Man

When the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim dished out a 10-year, $250 million contract to lure Albert Pujols away from the 2011 World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals, they expected results. Big results. Now that the 2012 season is moving into its second month, it's time to project some numbers.

Entering play on May 2, Albert Pujols has appeared in 24 games for the Angels this season. If we project his current stats to a full 162-game season, these would be the results:

162 games
648 at-bats
135 hits
.208 batting average
0 home runs
34 runs batted in

Ouch. Of course, Pujols will eventually start to hit. By the end of the season, I'm certain his numbers will resemble something like those he compiled in St. Louis. But, I'm sure Pujols' prolonged slump has something to do with the fact that the Angels find themselves in the basement of the American League West Division with a record of 9-15. If not, California dreaming could become California screaming in anger.

I'm wondering what Cardinals fans are thinking right about now.