2001 Bowman Gold #264 Albert Pujols BGS 9 Rookie

Description

Albert Pujols or “The Machine” was selected in the 1999 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals as a third baseman with the 402nd pick (13th Round).  He would spend two seasons in the minors before making his MLB debut on April 2, 2001.  He was the first player bore in the 1980s to make his major league debut in 2001.  He would record hi first MLB hit during the game but would not get his first MLB homerun until four days later.  During his rookie season he would play multiple positions (3B, 1B, RF, LF).  He would go on to win the NL Rookie of the Year award for 2001.  He would also be the first Cardinals rookie to make the All-Star game since 1955, when Luis Arroyo made the All-Star game.  Pujols would play his first 10 seasons in St. Louis before signing a free agent deal with the LA Angels in 2012, which would be a 10-year $254 million dollar deal.  He would be waived by the Angels in May of 2021 and would sign a deal with the LA Dodgers a few days later to finish out the season.  He would then sign a new deal that would bring him back to St. Louis to finish his career.  Some of his accomplishments are 2 World Series titles with the Cardinals, 700 Homeruns (699 and 700 hit on 9/23/2022 in back-to-back innings), 3000+ hits, 11 All-Star selections, 3-time NL MVP awards, 6 Silver Slugger awards and several other awards.  He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible.  This would be one of the best cards to have in your collection especially if you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan.