Quote:
Originally Posted by wolf441
I'd have them in slightly different order, but damn hard to argue with these 5.
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I would not put Pujols in the top 5. Pujols, for his career, started out as a monster. His dominance in his first 10 years was very similar to Trout's. (Both had 3 MVPs. Pujols finished in the top 5 10 times, Trout 9. Their OPS+ was very close.)
But in his years with the Angels, Pujols was not productive at all. In his 10 years with the Angels, he was basically Eric Hosmer. He hit only 222 homeruns, and slashed .256/.311/.447, with an OPS+ of 108. Eric Hosmer's career so far is 196 HRs, .277/.336/.428 and an OPS+ of 108.
Overall, Pujols' career OPS+ of 145 is tied for 51st all time, and just 19th among non-juicing, modern-era right handers. Putting him in the top 5 is a reach. Frank Thomas and Frank Robinson were feared hitters in their primes, and also were feared hitters well into their 30's. They are both deserving of the top 5 more than Pujols.