Cardinals Move Albert Pujols Into Harm's Way

Cardinals first basemen Albert Pujols has easily borne the mantle of Superman since the first moment of his arrival from the planet Krypton, but every Superman has his kryptonite and  Pujols is no exception.

Ever since his .329 batting average and 37 home runs in his rookie year,  observers have tended to forget that not long after he burst onto the scene he sustained a grade 3 tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of  his right elbow.

Though Pujols has undergone a number of arthroscopic and other collateral surgical procedures and various cleanups since then,  the tear to his "Tommy John ligament" remains manifest and continues to present a threat to his playing ability, especially if he expends significant energy throwing across the diamond from third base to first base.

Thus it seems peculiar that the Cardinals have acquiesced to Pujols' volunteering to play the hot corner,  rather than staying strictly at his much less demanding first base position.

Exercise and other rehabilitative reconditioning has built up enough strength in the remaining,  or untorn,   strands of ligament to provide adequate strength for normal,  everyday activity, but not necessarily enough for playing baseball.

 As long as Pujols plays first base, he might be able to get by,  and so he has.  But in intense, pressure situations throwing hard from third base,  his elbow could come apart at any time.

Let's repeat that one more time:  his elbow could come apart at any time.  In other words,  he could be one throw away from a trip to the 60-day disabled list,  even perhaps from a potential career ending injury.

Certainly one would think that the Cardinals have not only the team's but also Pujols' best interests in determining how to best position him on the field,  but the unexpected move to third base, however intermittent,  begs the question: Can it be possible that the team is willing to risk his health knowing that he very likely will leave the Cardinals when his contract expires at the end of this year?

Parish the thought, but fact remains that the most prudent medical decision would be to keep Albert Pujols strictly at first base,  and better yet, if he does go elsewhere next season, transform him into an American League designated hitter.

Yankees to Play Musical Chairs for Albert Pujols?

Having been completely upstaged by the Red Sox acquisitions of superstars Adrian Gonzalez band Carl Crawford, not to mention being spurned by ace pitcher Cliff Lee who signed with the Phillies, the Yankees now will pull out all the organ stops to sign wavering Cardinal Albert Pujols, widely regarded as the greatest player in the game.

But with superstar Mark Teixeira inked for the next five years, there's no room for Pujols in Yankee Stadium, you say? That song's been heard before, but listen to the way it's played by Kevin Baumer, writing at www.businessinsider.com.

First, Teixiera moves to third base, his original major league position, pushing Alex Rodriguez to shortstop, his original position. Derek Jeter, according to a plan that's been advanced for several years, then moves to the outfield.

When the music stops, Pujols is a Yankee.

"Of course, if the position issue is such a major obstacle, the Yankees could simply pay Pujols an extra $50 million to be their MVP designated hitter," Baumer said.

"...If the Cardinals haven't had the foresight to recognize that by not signing Pujols before the season, they're about to enter into a bidding war with the Yankees, they don't deserve to keep their slugger in the first place, " he concludes.

Albert Pujols' Elbow Still at Risk for Cardinals

So Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is unable to play in the World Baseball Classic because he is unable to obtain insurance. How conve-e-e-e-nient!

Sure, the story is true that Pujols is unable find a policy underwriter, and it is true that he claims that's why he won't play in the event, but it's very questionable whether he actually would have played even if he had obtained coverage.

Though last October's elbow surgery was successful in transposing or repositioning Pujols' ulnar collateral ligament -- the so-called Tommy John ligament -- another ligament remains nearly at the breaking point, and cannot be restored to full effectiveness with surgery or casual rehabilitation.

An independent medical analysis for MLB Newsonline suggests that the only reason Pujols can play with the injury is that he is not being asked to throw excessively. Were he a pitcher -- or perhaps even an outfielder or third baseman -- the ligament in all probability would have failed by now.

Though chances remain good that the ligament will remain intact, the fact remains that it could completely rupture at any time, throwing his durability into question.

After experiencing pain, Pujols recently took a week's rest from his rehabilitative regimen, and may be limited in his plate and field appearances through the remainder of camp.

Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols Has Elbow 'Discomfort'

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols recently took a week off after "experiencing discomfort" related to a lingering ligament strain and related elbow surgery he underwent in October, The St. Louis Post Dispatch said, citing an unnamed source familiar with Pujols' condition.



Pujols, who swung a bat in the cage for several reps after arriving in camp on Sunday, told the newspaper that his elbow has favorably responded to an aggressive hitting and workout program, but that he likely will be unable to buy insurance that would allow him to participate with the Dominican Republic team in the coming World Baseball Classic competition.



Pujols has not played since the surgery, in which his ulnar collateral ligament was replaced, the so-called "Tommy John" procedure. Because he has not played since that time, he cannot be insured by a standard policy, the newspaper said.



The newspaper also pointed out that in addition to the surgical procedure, Pujols suffers from "a high-grade ligament strain" in the elbow.



An independent sports medicine consultant familiar with the procedure told MLB Rumors that a "high-grade strain" would suggest fraying so severe as to pose a potential catastrophic breakdown of the ligament, but that the chances are not great that Pujols would be in jeopardy of such a failure as long as he is merely swinging the bat or playing first base rather than pitching or throwing from the outfield.



It appears that Pujols took a 7-day break merely because he overexerted himself during rehabilitation, the MLB Rumors source theorized. "If they were worried about it, there would be no way he would be doing anything in spring training," the source said.



The newspaper report hinted, however, that Pujols may be limited to as little as one at-bat per game during spring training.

Joe Torre Has Confidence in Angel Berroa

In his quest to put together a lineup that can score more than two runs, Dodgers manager Joe Torre moved The Offense up one spot in the lineup Thursday, batting him third.  This of course presented a problem because only two batters preceded Manny after the pitcher's spot.  

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa solved this problem when he moved Albert Pujols to the three spot by batting the pitcher eighth, increasing the likelihood that runners would be on base for Pujols.  But Torre did not employ that strategy last night, and his reasoning was surprisingly sound:  "I'm not sure if [Danny] Ardoin or Berroa are going to add to the probability of getting people on base."

There's nothing like giving your seven and eight hitters a boost of confidence by publicly announcing that they aren't good enough to bat last.  

Albert Pujols Reckons With Pain Tolerance

Injured Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols' issues at this time are largely those of pain tolerance, manager Tony LaRussa has told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

He appears to be on schedule for return to action.

Eligible to come off the disabled list when the team travels to Kansas City next week, Pujols is swinging the bat and taking grounders at first base during pre-game workouts with his teammates, the newspaper said.

More free baseball rumors

Cardinals Lose Pujols and Wainwright to DL

The Cardinals have lost first baseman Albert Pujols and staff ace Adam Wainwright to the 15-day disabled list.

Pujols injured his calf running out a ground ball Tuesday night and Wainwright sprained the middle finger on his pitching hand. The team expects both to miss at least three weeks.

Pujols has been having an MVP season, hitting .347 with 16 home runs and 42 RBI. Wainwright has also been excellent, going 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 13 starts. The Cardinals currently sit 2.5 games behind division leading Cubs.

Albert Pujols Contemplating Tommy John Surgery?

The hushed voice of KMOX sports reporter Kevin Wheeler has joined the whispers in St. Louis that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols may be headed for a fall, not merely because Pujols has been playing with foot, leg and various other aches and pains in recent years but because far more serious trouble awaits him.

"Albert is the perfect hitter," says Wheeler, who hosts the weekly program "Rating the Cards" on the 50,000-watt voice of the midwest. "...The only concern about Albert's ability to put up big offensive numbers is his health.

"He was already voicing concern about his right elbow, which probably needs Tommy John surgery, and if that elbow (or the back or the hammies) give him significant trouble...he might not be able to battle through the pain again."

Speculation is growing that Dominican slugger may miss significant portions or perhaps even all of the season, though it doesn't seem to make sense that Pujols would have waited this late to make the decision to undergo invasive medical procedures had he not already committed to try to play in 2008.

Even Wheeler can't come to terms with the idea of Pujols going down, projecting him to hit .330 with 40 homers this year if all goes well.

"The scariest thing I've heard in a long time, relating to the Cards, was Albert saying he can't do what he did last year again. Just hope and pray the offseason of rest did him well," said Wheeler, whose broadcasts can be heard across more than 30 states at 1120 on the AM dial.

Cardinals Tony La Russa Motivates Albert Pujols

The public will never know unless Cardinals manager Tony La Russa one day acknowledges it, but the master motivator apparently crafted a solid dose of shame, humiliation and embarrassment to motivate his star slugger Albert Pujols.

La Russa -- as manager of the the National League All-Star team last month -- deliberately humiliated his own player by leaving Pujols on the bench for the entire All-Star game, later offering implausible explanations that Pujols was being held in reserve as a pinch hitter.

Pujols -- who had been playing anemically all year -- was put to shame not only before his teammates, fans and the public at large, but even family members whom he had flown to St. Louis to watch him.

Pujols -- proud as only a Dominican can be proud -- was obviously shamed and shocked. The result: Since the All-Star break Pujols is hitting .351, with a .449 on-base percentage and .784 slugging.