Albert Pujols Updated Bio

Albert Pujols is a first baseman for the St Louis Cardinals. Born in the Dominican Republic on January 16, 1980 he is now known as the best active player in baseball.

Growing up in the Dominican Republic, he lived a very poor life in what many would call a campsite. The only thing that kept the family going was government aid and various government programs. His father, Bienvenido, was not around much and came in and out of his life on a regular basis. His grandmother was the one that cared for Albert and helped him stay happy and well adjusted even though his living conditions were below average. He was taught to have deep religious beliefs, which are with him today.

 

Even though his father floated in and out of his life Albert had the desire to follow in his father’s footsteps at least when it came to baseball. Albert’s father was known throughout the Dominican Republic to be a great pitcher.

Eventually, Albert and his family moved to Independence, Missouri in the 1990’s where he attended school. His heart was still attached to baseball and while playing he learned more English. He became better at baseball and of course English as the years went by. When he was a junior at Fort Osage High School , he was attracting the attention of pro-scouts, which encouraged him to apply to college where he would have greater chances of becoming noticed. Albert graduated from Osage High School in December of 1998. He then attended Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Missouri where he showed his star qualities as a baseball player.

By 1999, the St. Louis Cardinals drafted Albert; however, he turned down their offer of a $10,000 bonus and played in the Jayhawk League out of Kansas. By the end of 1999, the Cardinals increased their bonus to $60,000. This is when Pujols decided to sign on.

In his personal life, Albert married Deidre on New Years Day in 2000. The couple have two children of their own and Albert adopted Deidre’s daughter to complete the family.

Some of the accomplishments attributed to Albert Pujols include:

2005 National League MVP

Five-time All-Star in 2001, 2003 through 2006

National League Batting Champion, 2003

In 2005, he Albert was named to the Major League Baseball’s Latino Legends Team as the first baseman.

2006 World Series Champion
Albert’s Awards include in 2001 he was awarded Rookie of the Year, in 2001 and 2003-2004 won the silver slugger award, in May 2003 and June 2003 he was awarded the National League Player of the Month for both May and June 2003 and again in April 2006, in 2003 the Hank Aaron Award, also in 2003 the TSN Player of the Year, In 2004 the NLCS MVP, in 2005 the National League MVP, and in 2006 the Gold Glove Award at first base.

With his high-flying career, the above is only an overview. He is one of the most well known and respected young men of the baseball industry. Many other players look up to him and get advise but he is a shy one and just thinks he is lucky when he hits a home run or brings in several runners. That’s a small ego for a superstar like Albert Pujols.

Albert and his wife, Deidre have started a foundation for people with downs syndrome because their daughter was born with Downs. To give back to their roots Albert contributes to the residents of the Dominican Republic to help them overcome the poverty that is present.

On Wednesday, February 7, 2007, he added US Citizen to his impressive list of achievements. After this, he signed a new 7-year contract for $100 million. When asked about the money, Albert said he does not consider this his money it is money he borrowed from God.