5 Ways Albert Pujols Makes His Los Angeles Angels Teammates Better in 2012

We all know what Phat Albert can do with a bat in his hands.  The numbers speak for themselves.  And with a pair of Gold Gloves, he’s obviously no slouch with the leather.

But the Cardinals didn’t win two World Series titles during Pujols’ time there simply because of his production.  And the Angels surely didn’t give him all that money solely for that reason, either.

Talk to those who know him best, such as former teammates and coaches, and they’ll tell you that Pujols impacts his team in many indirect ways that don’t necessarily show up in the box score.

It’s those intangibles that separate the great from the merely good and, in Pujols’ case, the greatest from the merely great. That’s what the Angels paid for and that’s what they expect.

To that end, here are five ways that Albert Pujols will help his new Angels teammates improve:

1.  Leadership—The Angels have been searching for a true clubhouse leader ever since Darin Erstad left in 2006.  Torii Hunter has done a good job keeping everybody loose and being the go-to guy for the media, but as far as someone other players have to answer to, that presence has been somewhat lacking in the clubhouse. 

Not anymore.  By virtue of his pedigree, Pujols immediately becomes the unquestioned leader of the Angels in 2012.  If there’s a beef in the clubhouse, Albert will step in to squash it before it affects the play on the field.  If a young player is struggling, Pujols will pull him aside and work with him. 

And the overall respect he commands by way of leading by example will ensure that the other 24 guys in the clubhouse will arrive to work every day prepared and ready to put in the necessary work to become champions.

2.  Experience—Pujols has two World Series rings. The Angels have no one left from that 2002 team that won it all.  The current incarnation knows how to compete, knows how win games and even knows how to win a playoff series. 

But winning three playoff series in a row is a whole different animal, and the Angels have, for whatever reason, continually come up short in that quest over the past nine years.  Pujols can and will show them the subtle differences between how you play the game in August and how you play it in October.   He’ll point out the little things that unsuccessful teams tend to overlook and champions pay attention to. 

3.  Lineup Protection—Look for much improved offensive years from those Angels fortunate enough to be hitting directly in front and/or behind Pujols this season.  With the prospect of seeing Pujols in the
on-deck circle, opposing pitchers are not going to want to give away any free passes to the top of the Angels’ order. 

And if they continue to pitch around the patient Pujols, then the same thing applies
to the guy hitting behind him. That means a steady diet of fastballs for whomever manager Mike Scioscia decides to bat around Pujols.  Guys have won battling titles and even MVP awards hitting in front of or behind a dynamic slugger like Pujols. 

Ryan Braun did it last year hitting in front of Prince Fielder and Jeff Kent did it in 2000 hitting behind Barry Bonds.  With all the talent the Angels have, I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened again in Los Angeles in 2012.

4.  Knowledge as a hitter—Let’s just say Pujols has a future as a hitting coach when his playing
days are over.  He studies pitchers like Greg Maddux studied hitters, and is happy to pass along his knowledge to his teammates. 

Unlike Barry Bonds, who once said he didn’t share hitting tips with teammates because they might be future opponents who would turn around and use that knowledge against him, Pujols harbors no such insecurities. 

If he thinks widening your stance a bit will help you go the other way better when you’re behind in the count, he’s going to pass that along.  If a certain pitcher is giving you fits, he’ll go over pitch sequences with you from the past six months to see if there’s a pattern you can exploit. 

Bottom line, there’s a lot that goes into hitting aside from the physical act of swinging a bat, and if there’s a way Pujols can help you improve in that department, he won’t hesitate to step up to the plate.  

5.  Confidence Building – The Angels have guys like Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos who are young and relatively inexperienced, but nevertheless expected to contribute in a big way in 2012.  You cannot overstate the impact that having Albert Pujols on your team has on the mindset of any player, particularly a younger one. 

When you know that someone like Pujols is in the lineup, you don’t need to worry about anything else other than doing your job. The burden won’t be on Trumbo to hit 29 HRs again for the Angles to win, which means he will probably hit 30. Trout won’t need to over swing because the offense is sputtering, but instead can just go about his business and let his power develop naturally. 

Bourjos just needs to get on base.  Pujols’ presence simplifies their roles considerably and in turn he makes it easier for them to do their jobs, just like he did for David Freese, Allen Craig and Skip Schumaker for the Cardinals in 2011.

That’s Pujols for you.  There are a plenty of sluggers out there capable of putting up comparable numbers during any given season.  But what makes Pujols special, and by extension, worthy of the contract he signed, is not how well he plays but how well everyone around him plays. 

The Cardinals saw it for 11 years and were perennial contenders because of it, despite dealing with the kind of setbacks and losses that caused other teams to crumble.   The Angels hope to see it going forward. 

And if Pujols has anything to say about it, I expect they will.