Baseball

Pujols thrives by never being satisfied

Cardinals star focuses on the negative to avoid complacency

James A. Finley / AP

St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols screams in pain after fouling a ball off his shin during a game against the Mets on May 16.

Spectacularly steady
Pick your superlative to describe Pujols' incredible start to the 2006 season: amazing, unbelievable, spectacular. They all fit. One that doesn't, however, is this: surprising. Indeed, perhaps the most impressive aspect of Pujols' five-plus seasons in the majors has been his consistency.

Pujols, though, is becoming more open at the park, too. The Cardinals lost some of their best clubhouse leaders in the offseason — guys such as Larry Walker and Cal Eldred — and with veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds battling early-season struggles, some of the leadership burden has fallen to Pujols.

He is leading through example by playing with a bad back and has become more vocal in the clubhouse. When fans booed new outfielder Juan Encarnacion in April, Pujols chided them, saying, "I don't know what's going on with our fans, but I don't think that's the right way to approach it." He did the same when closer Jason Isringhausen was booed.

Pujols is a keen observer of pitchers' tendencies and shares his insights with younger players. He has been a good influence on Latin teammates, too. "He is a good role model for us," Rodriguez says. "The way he plays, and the way he helps us, it is very valuable."

Perhaps most valuable, again. La Russa spent time last weekend trying to distribute credit for the Cardinals' early success by pointing out that the bullpen has exceeded expectations, that leadoff man David Eckstein has been doing his job (.393 on-base percentage), that Rodriguez has been a pleasant surprise (.411 average), that Edmonds is coming around and that third baseman Scott Rolen is finally healthy.

The Cardinals began the week with the best record in the N.L., and the manager wanted to make sure the rest of the roster received proper credit.

Still, Pujols is the Cardinals' must-watch player, a hitter on a record-breaking tear. He is an MVP, and, heck, maybe he is on his way to 80 home runs. But even if he pulls off such an absurd feat, Pujols will remain the kid who was overlooked in the draft, the kid who must improve, the kid whose laser-like focus always has been on getting to the big leagues and thriving. He's not about to lose his allergy to compliments.

Ask him how he feels while on such an astounding, record-smashing pace and he does not say, "Stupendous," or, "Outstanding," or even, "Good." No, Pujols shrugs and merely says: "I feel OK." Big surprise.

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