José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (/ˈpuːhoʊls/ POO-hohls,[1][b] Spanish pronunciation: [puˈxols]; born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played 11 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, with whom he was a three-time National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (2005, 2008, 2009) and nine-time All-Star (2001, 2003–2010). Since joining the Angels in 2012, he has made one All-Star appearance, in 2015. A right-handed batter and thrower, Pujols stands 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighs 235 pounds (107 kg).
Pujols was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1996. After one season of college baseball, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1999 MLB draft. As a rookie for the Cardinals in 2001, he was unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year. Pujols played for the Cardinals, contributing to two World Series championships in 2006 and 2011. After the 2011 season, Pujols became a free agent and signed a 10-year contract with the Angels.
Pujols was, at the height of his career, a highly regarded hitter who showed a "combination of contact hitting ability, patience and raw power."[2][3][4] He is a six-time Silver Slugger who has twice led the NL in home runs, and he has also led the NL once each in batting average, doubles, and RBIs. He is significantly above-average in career regular season batting average (.300), walk rate (10.8 percent), and Isolated Power (.249).[5][6][7] He holds the MLB all-time record for most times grounded into a double play (395).[8] With 14 seasons of 100 or more RBIs produced, he is tied with Alex Rodriguez for the most in MLB history. Pujols collected his 3,000th career hit in 2018, becoming the 32nd player in MLB history to do so.[9] Pujols also became the fourth member of the 3,000-hit club to also hit 600 home runs, joining Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Rodriguez.[9] At the start of the 2020 season, he will likely be the oldest player in the American League on an active roster at age 40. Pujols is considered a lock for the Hall of Fame.[10][11][12]
