The very first post that I put up over at the old blog was basically a reprint of a post that I had written on the Bill James Online forums. At the time, I had no real plans for the blog, so I was using it as a central place to store my online writings. The post was this one, comparing the first eight years of Albert Pujols' career with the first eight years of Frank Thomas'.

This was originally written in November of last year, so Prince Albert's 2009 season was yet to be determined. That makes the analysis a little dated, but I think it's still worth reading. And, considering all the random visitors that I would get to people reading that post, it seems like a no-brainer to include it here as part of the "Archive Diving" series.

In short, the point that I was trying to make in the article was that, as great as Pujols is, Thomas was nearly as great of a player back in the early-'90s. People were saying the same thing about Thomas then that they're saying about Pujols now - that he is going to go down as the greatest first-baseman of all-time. And, with Thomas, it was just as easy to believe then as it is with Pujols now. Instead, though, time and injuries damaged the Big Hurt so much that, while still a Hall of Famer, those superlatives are no longer applicable. So let's be a little more patient with Pujols before we anoint him as the greatest of all time. There is still a lot that can happen to him before his legacy is complete.

This is how I ended the article:

I imagine a lot of people will read this and bring up a lot of good points why Albert won't turn into Frank, and I will believe every single one of them. But I'll also believe all the arguments in the other direction, where one brings up Albert's scary brush with Tommy John surgery or something else. In either case, I'm rooting for Pujols because I want to say that I was able to watch the greatest first baseman of all-time play for many years. I like the way the guy plays, and I hope nothing but the best. I just think it's important to remember just how certain we were about Thomas back in the day too, and that didn't quite turn out as we hoped.

Now, go read the whole thing and tell me why I'm wrong: Albert Pujols vs. Frank Thomas.

Comments (2)

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written by The Common Man, August 25, 2009

I tend to agree that we're getting ahead of ourselves with Albert. That said, I think he's already secured a place in the top 5 1B of all time (as I wrote here: http://the0common0man.blogspot...ujols.html). And, as you and I have discussed in the past, I think when we discuss Thomas and Pujols, we're talking about two different types of first basemen. One is big, imposing, linebacker-ish, and slow. He hits a ton, but is not an asset on defense. The other is more nimble, able to play other positions passably, and more flexible. Also, Pujols has shown an impressive ability to play well through pain, while Thomas' injuries always seemed to fell him. While nothing is assured, I have to think that Pujols is a better bet to stay (relatively) healthy and productive from 30-35 years old than Thomas was.

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written by lar @ wezen-ball, August 26, 2009

Good points, TCM. As we get further and further into Pujols' career, I get more and more convinced that he is one of the top first basemen of all-time. He's just so good at everything (and is really in a different stratosphere, as a complete player, as Frank Thomas).

Still, you never know what'll happen. If he gets seriously injured in the next few years, his career could sidetrack and sputter like Thomas. Even then, we'd remember him as a great player and HOFer, but he wouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Gehrig. Or he could get a whole lot of nagging injuries like Griffey and become another player who could've been the greatest but just didn't. Not that it'd be his fault.

I think I'm putting too much weight on this now. I just really liked that Thomas comparison a year or so ago, but he's zooming on past the Big Hurt these days. Just like in Griffey circa 1997, Prince Albert is at that point where we know and accept his greatness. I just hope that he stays healthy enough to maintain and capitalize on it.

(it's late, so I hope that made sense... :-)

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