TEMPE, Ariz. — A few days ago Albert Pujols woke from a late afternoon nap to see that his phone had exploded.
“I had like 3,000 calls,” Pujols said. “What happened? I turned on the TV to see if something had happened. Somebody told me it was all about a post.”
That would be an Instagram post from Pujols’ wife, Diedre. Apparently, she had meant to simply send her husband off to another baseball season with her blessings, but the way she initially worded the post led people to believe she was revealing that he was retiring after the season.
After several clarifications to the post, and a denial from Pujols’ representatives, it all got sorted out. Pujols was able to laugh about it when he spoke to the media before Saturday’s workout.
“I know what she was trying to say,” Pujols said. “It’s sad that everybody just had to run with it. That’s the life we live in with social media.”
It was understandable to believe Pujols might have decided the 2021 season would be his last. He is 41 and this is the final year of his 10-year deal with the Angels. His performance has declined and his playing time has decreased in recent seasons.
Pujols, however, said that he feels great after a second straight injury-free season.
“My mind’s not even there,” Pujols said of retirement. “I feel good. When I’m there, I think everybody’s going to know and they’re not going to find out through Instagram. They’ll find out in a press conference or whatever. My fans and people deserve better than just a post on Instagram.”
It stands to reason that whatever decision Pujols makes about 2022 largely hinges on how he performs in 2021.
He is coming off a season in which he hit .224 with a .665 OPS, both the lowest numbers in a 20-year career that will surely land him in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Although he avoided the injured list last season, he still played in just 39 of the Angels’ 60 games, losing playing time to Jared Walsh. Walsh had a sizzling September and ended up hitting .293 with a .971 OPS and nine homers in just 99 at-bats.
If Walsh, 27, hits anywhere close to that level in 2021, it will be difficult for Pujols to wrest much playing time from him, barring a miraculous resurgence of his own.
“I hope he friggin tears it up because that means he’s going to help this organization win,” Pujols said. “I’m not competing with Jared Walsh. I’m not competing with anybody on my team. My job is to try to help this organization win. There’s nothing selfish here for anybody. If there’s somebody that feels that way, they shouldn’t be in this organization, because that’s not how you build a championship ballclub.”
Manager Joe Maddon got a taste of Pujols’ attitude in their first year together, in 2020, and he expects more of the same this year if he needs to tell Pujols his role will be further reduced.
“It’s going to be a meritocracy, always,” Maddon said. “He gets it. We’ve had the conversations. Of course he wants to play and of course when he doesn’t play he might not like it. Of course. He’s wired that way. And that’s the way you want it to be. But he understands what’s going on. He accepts it well.”
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