| 25 August 2009
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though, time and injuries damaged the Big Hurt so much that, while still a Hall of Famer, those superlatives are no longer applicable.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.
