Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols Has a New Job in Baseball
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Longtime baseball legend Albert Pujols has a new job, and a new mission, in the sport.
He's been named as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner.
Here's more, via a press release from Major League Baseball:
Pujols will consult with MLB on a range of topics, including player relations and issues regarding his home country, the Dominican Republic. As part of his role, Pujols will also serve as an MLB Network on-air analyst, appearing across the network’s programming.
Commissioner Manfred said: “Beyond his long list of accomplishments on the field, Albert is a highly respected figure who represents the game extraordinarily well. He cares greatly about making a difference in our communities. We are excited for Albert to join other former players who are doing important work for our sport, and we will welcome his perspective across our efforts.”
Pujols said: “I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter of my career. Commissioner Manfred and I share the same passion for growing the game in the Dominican Republic and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to join the MLB Network family. I've been a huge fan since the very beginning and can't wait to get started.”
The 2022 season was the final year of the three-time National League Most Valuable Player’s prolific 22-year Major League career, which included 11 All-Star selections during a total of 12 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, 10 years with the Los Angeles Angels, and a season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With his memorable closing to ’22, the two-time World Series Champion vaulted to fourth in MLB history with 703 home runs, the most all-time by a player who was born outside of the United States. “The Machine” is ninth on the all-time hits list with 3,384. He played for the DR’s national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. Pujols, the 2008 recipient of MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on and off the field, earned ESPN’s 2022 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his charitable work, notably through the Pujols Family Foundation.
It will certainly be good to see Pujols in this new role. Continuing to grow the game in the Dominican Republic is an important initiative, as baseball continues to globalize itself. Also, being a conduit between the commissioner's office and current players is a valuable role, since players sometimes don't feel that the people in charge hear them.
And finally, through MLB Network, it will be good to hear the thoughts of another former player. MLB Network has a very impressive roster of former players including Harold Reynolds, Dan Plesac and much more. The perspectives they provide are very valuable to fans.
This seems like a win-win all around for baseball, fans, and Pujols himself.
Next stop: The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Pujols is a no-doubter there, and is no-doubt a first ballot guy. The question is if he'll get 100 percent of the vote.
I guess we'll have to wait a few years to find out.
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