Albert Pujols Biography

Albert Pujols was born Jose Alberto Pujols on January 16, 1980 in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. In 1996, at the age of 16, Albert Pujols moved to the United States, settling in the Kansas City area. He graduated from Fort Osage High School in Independence, Missouri, after twice earning all-state honors in baseball. He made a name for himself at Maple Woods Community College where he earned a baseball scholarship, and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 free agent draft. After only one year in the minors, Pujols was invited to spring training with the Cards. His performance was so good that he never got sent back down to the farm team.

In 2001, Pujols put up good enough numbers to earn the NL Rookie of the Year award. In both 2002 and 2003, Pujols finished second to Barry Bonds in National League MVP voting. Albert's .359 batting average at the end of the 2003 season earned him his first NL Batting Title, as well as a 7 year, $100 million contract to play baseball in St. Louis through the end of the 2010 season. Albert Pujols is the only player in MLB history to bat over .300 with 30+ home runs, 100+ RBI, and 100+ runs scored in each of his first 4 Major League seasons.

The Cardinals won 105 games in 2004 to win the NL Central Division. The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League Championship by defeating the Houston Astros 5-2 in Game 7 of the NLCS. Albert Pujols was named the NLCS MVP. Pujols hit .500, going 14-for-28 in the NLCS with 4 homers and 9 RBIs. Unfortunately, the Boston Red Sox swept the 2004 World Series in 4 games.

Albert's wife Deidre has a daughter with Down Syndrome, whom Pujols has adopted. Albert Pujols does a lot of charity work with the Down Syndrome Association Of Greater St. Louis. He has also recently set up the Pujols Family Foundation.

Albert The Great: The Albert Pujols Story

Albert The Great
The Albert Pujols Story