Two of the best first basemen in the National League decided to make the jump to the more offense oriented American League. Albert Pujols left the St. Louis Cardinals and went to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Prince Fielder went from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Detroit Tigers.
Fielder will be a dangerous component of the Tigers lineup. He fits in perfectly with Miguel Cabrera, who will be making the move over to third base. This could be the most dangerous three, four combination in the American League. Not only will Cabrera have a monster season with Fielder hitting behind him, but Fielder is sure to go off.
The lineup will also present a major problem for opposing teams. It is projected that the team will go mainly lefty, righty in the batting order. It will be very difficult for opposing coaches to find favorable matchups late in games.
Fielder will also benefit from being in a hitters ball park.
He may have hit some bombs out of Miller Park but it will be much easier for him to dominate in his new home. Comerica Park became a hitter’s park when the left-center fence was moved in 20 feet. This will be very beneficial to Fielder especially considering that he hits from the left side of the plate.
The addition of Fielder has made the Tigers one of the deadliest teams in the MLB. He made them a favorite to win the World Series. This team has one of the best lineups and a very solid starting pitching staff. Their main problem is going to be the defense but at least defense only wins championships in football.
The addition of Pujols will help the Angels is so many ways. Pujols is unanimously the best player in baseball and even at the age of 32, he will see improvement in his stats this year.
Pujols will be moving from an extreme pitchers’ park to a more neutral park. There will be a ton of balls flying off of his bat and into the mountains in right-center.
Pujols will make the Angels a contender but there are too many questions surrounding the other players on the team for them to be favorites in the American League. They may not even be the best team in their division. The Rangers, the team that Pujols beat in the World Series last year, has made it to the championship in the last two seasons. It is going to be difficult to beat them in the division, let alone get over the internal obstacles.
Torri Hunter and Vernon Wells are getting older and Bobby Abreu is horrible. I mean the guy is afraid to catch a ball on the warning track. This leaves little support behind him in the lineup. The best option will be Kendrys Morales and that is if he is healthy. Morales has not played a full season since 2009.
Pujols was responsible for two championships in St. Louis and it would not be surprising if the Angels are celebrating sometime soon. It just does not look like it will be very easy this year especially with addition of Fielder in Detroit. People cannot forget about the Yankees, who have gotten better, the Red Sox, and the Tampa Bay Rays who all have a valid shot at winning the wild card spots (yes there are two now). It is not a sure thing that the Angels will even make it to the post season. Pujols significantly improves their chances but it will not be a walk in the park.
Another interesting thing that these two signings will affect is the All-Star Game. It is going to be intriguing to see which superstar will be starting at first base for the American League. With Pujols, Fielder, Mark Teixeira, and Adrian Gonzalez all playing the same position, at least one will be snubbed. It is going to be a fascinating season and one that talked about for years to come.
Joe Beaudoin can be reached at jbeaudoin@spartans.ut.edu.
Calling a great player like Bobby Abreu “Horrible” demonstrates your extreme ignorance and discredits this entire article. Try not to be so unprofessional but maybe that’s why you are writing here.