ST. LOUIS — Remember at the beginning of the season when a few contrarians out there were appalled by the thought of Albert Pujols taking up at-bats for the 2022 St. Louis Cardinals? Seems a bit silly now, right?
The current Pujols taking hacks at Busch Stadium may only have just over a month left in the big leagues before retirement, but he's making the most of them.
And Pujols isn't just providing memories for fans. He's on an absolute tear at the plate.
It's no great secret that Pujols can still hit lefties. It's part of the reason he was brought back to St. Louis in the first place. But the rate at which he's hammering lefthanders is on another level of impressive.
Pujols, 42, is currently hitting .351 with an OPS of 1.049 against lefties this season. That's elite production from any player, much less one of the oldest in the league. It's also well above his career numbers against lefties, which come in at a .300 average and .949 OPS.
What's really jumped out though is Pujols' performance over the past few weeks.
In 13 games since Pujols' time in the spotlight at the All-Star Game in 2022, the future Hall of Famer is hitting .389 with four home runs and an OPS of 1.242.
"I think I've been putting good swings all year long. Just sometimes you're gonna get some breaks and other times you won't. So I feel like that's how it is," Pujols said on Sunday.
Pujols' two home run day against the Brewers on Sunday brought him to 989 for his career, 11 away from becoming just the fourth member of the 700 home run club. Pujols said the record is in the "back of his mind", but not how you might think.
"It is in the back of my mind because I don't think about it. So it's behind me. To tell you the truth, if it happens, it happens," Pujols said.
The Cardinals have needed Pujols' offensive production, too.
Among all players on the Cardinals' roster, Pujols has the third-highest OPS at .784, behind MVP candidates Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado.
Pujols isn't just selling tickets and t-shirts. He's helping the Cardinals make a bid to win the NL Central.
He's also embracing the role of elder statesman on a team with a number of young players trying to make their mark in the majors.
"I'm the grandpa in this clubhouse. So I think at the end of the day what I love about this young group of guys, they don't only have the talent and ability to go out there and perform, they respect and want to learn and get better. They care about this organization. I think whatever we execute in the meeting, that's what we trust and go out there. Whether it's myself, Nolan, Yadi, Paulie, whoever... We have more experience than some of these young guys here, and I think it'd be a shame they don't take advantage of the wisdom some of us can give. Whether it's in the hitters' meeting or the dugout. That's what I love. I'm having a great time like I did last year with the Dodgers. Lots of young players I was able to mentor, same as here, so I'm enjoying every single (moment)."