The decline in performance for Albert Pujols has been swift and brutal. It may be due to his certainly being older than his stated age. It may simply be the toll of 18 MLB seasons and nearly 10,000 career at bats. Whatever the factors, he is clearly shot and no longer The Machine as he was known in St. Louis.
Just how shot is Albert? Well, for the last 2 seasons his offensive output aligns closest with utility infielders. Considering utility infielders offer defensive and base running value, he’s actually less valuable to the team than a utility infielder.