Pujols: the age question

[C-Unit]

He went to high school in KC. They would notice a 24 year old freshman.

Nobody is saying he’s that much older.
But it’s pretty well documented he is around 3 years older than he says.

NOWHERE is it “documented”. Just a lot of speculation and conjecture and conspiracy theory. I was coaching HS ball in KC when he played at Fort Osage and I umpired many of his Legion games. I knew both of his coaches quite well and both were very honorable men. The kid was special. The guy hit 700 HR’s in the big leagues. Don’t you think he would DOMINATE HS ball?

Now, he was not “chubby”, but he DID have a large butt, which a lot of people thought would limit him going forward. There was talk he’d even end up as a catcher. Now, in the year between when he graduated HS and went to Maple Wood, he did become fat. He was playing for a select team managed by KU coach Dave Bingham. I was shocked by how bad he looked. However, once he got to Maple Woods, where a former player of mine was an assistant coach, he became a workout warrior. He eschewed going to the beach with teammates in Florida to stay coaches watching film telling them, ‘This is as far as they’ll go. THIS is what I’ll do for a living.” Not older. Just more gifted, talented, and dedicated. He was a baseball prodigy/savant. Of course, it’s easier and more comforting to say he cheated.

Some of the best hitters of that era including Albert, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera all are not necessarily the number one athlete on the field. When I think of the best athletes I think of someone like Rick Ankiel because he was able to go play centerfield run throw and hit with power after being a pitcher. He had the natural athleticism. Josh Baez will try to convert his raw athleticism into aggregate counting stats (HRs, steals, good defense). But to be .320+ hitter with 500+ homers requires one of the more niche skillsets in sports and raw athleticism probably isn't the primary delineator. Those guys Albert, Ramirez, and Cabrera are built more like construction workers than gym rats. They look like they could roll out of bed with a 2×4 and hit a rock a mile just on natural ability.

[rockondlouie]

His legal birth certificate states he was born on January 16, 1980, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

This document was used for his immigration to the U.S. in 1996 and for his U.S. citizenship application in 2007.

No proof whatsoever he's older than that.

[An Old Friend]

His legal birth certificate states he was born on January 16, 1980, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

This document was used for his immigration to the U.S. in 1996 and for his U.S. citizenship application in 2007.

No proof whatsoever he's older than that.

Dotel was born in November of 1973

They played against each other in the DR

Pujols said Dotel was 3-4 years older than him

[Adam2]

If the Cards had not deliberately low balled him with the perpetual lowest offer of the four teams, Pujols would have re-signed and no longer suffering from a broken heart in LA he would have launched 800 career dingers.

Incorrect, he would have significantly less. There was no DH here for the majority of his time in LA, his plantar fasciitis would have kept him off the field quite a bit in STL. He would have had far less at bats here than he got in LA by being able to DH.

[dugoutrex]

If the Cards had not deliberately low balled him with the perpetual lowest offer of the four teams, Pujols would have re-signed and no longer suffering from a broken heart in LA he would have launched 800 career dingers.

Incorrect, he would have significantly less. There was no DH here for the majority of his time in LA, his plantar fasciitis would have kept him off the field quite a bit in STL. He would have had far less at bats here than he got in LA by being able to DH.

+ 1000

[Cranny]

2 years older, as told to me by a Cardinal employee.

[rockondlouie]

2 years older, as told to me by a Cardinal employee.

[45s]

His legal birth certificate states he was born on January 16, 1980, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

This document was used for his immigration to the U.S. in 1996 and for his U.S. citizenship application in 2007.

No proof whatsoever he's older than that.

I have no thoughts on his age….his stats are all that matter…

That said….”legal birth certificates” are, or were, pretty much a joke in the Caribbean

After 9/11 when there was increased scrutiny of visas, passports, etc….several Latin players were shown to be older than their documents…

One guy even had a phony name…..it was corrected and he literally was the player to be named later..