LA Angels Series Preview: Albert Pujols returns to St. Louis

LA Angels Albert Pujols had his best days in a St. Louis Cardinals unifrom — HOUSTON – AUGUST 30: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits the ball off the end of the bat during a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on August 30, 2010 in Houston, Texas. The Astros beat the Cardinals 3-0. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

From the Past to the Future

While this series does have thick overtones of celebrating legacy and history that is not the only powerful dynamic at play. This isn’t just the tale of Albert Pujols’ legacy, this is the tale of the current and upcoming legacies on the rise with the Angels.

Mike Trout is paving his way as one of the greatest of all-time, just as Pujols did more than a decade ago. Mike Trout’s legacy is a little more complicated than Pujols, because while Pujols brought the Cardinals multiple championships the Angels have not seen a single playoff win with Mike Trout roaming centerfield. Trout is currently in his 9th season and is looking to make 2019 the year he finally changes his story and this series in St. Louis is an integral part of that story.

"The Pujols' have created an entire community for people, for families, with Down Syndrome. And now, I don't think you could stop it."

On the off-the-field legacy Albert Pujols left behind in St. Louis, as told by those most impacted by it: https://t.co/JnAUkuRLzd
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) June 21, 2019

The Angels are just 3 games back from the Wild Card and are sitting at .500 after three months of scraping and clawing against injury and underperforming athletes; some would say the Angels have battled against the odds to stay this close to the competition with such an underwhelming roster.

What’s different about this team is how many new faces are injecting a fresh energy and reviving this once stagnant ball club. Kids like Griffin Canning and Luis Rengifo, veterans like Tommy La Stella and even the “take-a-chance-on-me” ball players like Brian Goodwin; so many different faces have come around the ball club and brought about a new life to the Angels.

Another player that had a major impact on this team was Shohei Ohtani and his return from injury. Ohtani is another Angel looking to build a long-lasting and impactful legacy on baseball. We’ve all heard Ohtani’s story time and time again, so many times that I don’t need to retread the tale. The young Ohtani is looking to continue swinging one of the hottest bats in the league and build upon his 1.151 OPS over the last two weeks.

Both futures of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are bright, burning stars and will easily outshine Albert Pujols throughout the series, but it would be really nice to see Pujols do his best to keep up with them this weekend.

Schedule