The Cardinals' Paw

Albert Pujols is returning to the Cardinals. We have to remember which version.

The reunion so many wanted but few ever really thought would happen came to fruition yesterday. Albert Pujols, the great Albert Pujols, again donned the red and white of the St. Louis Cardinals. The legend had returned.

On some level, this was validation for the fan base. The one that rejected became the one that returned. It was him, not us. It’s always nice to be the chosen ones. It’s great to see this person that we invested so much into when he played in St. Louis return for one final hurrah.

However, there are risks and downsides with this. We all know this intellectually, but Pujols isn’t the same player that he was when he left in 2011, days after hitting three home runs in a World Series game. The .300/30/100 stats are well gone—his career average has dipped under .300 and now has more strikeouts (four more) than walks in his career—and he’s been by metrics a below average player (though, to be fair, not necessarily far below average) for the last half-decade. While being dipped in the magic waters under the Arch (or, if you are less charitable, #CardinalsDevilMagic) has done great things in the past, counting on it to revive Pujols is probably asking too much.

So hold on to these good feelings. Remember this excitement and joy.

Tap into them in May, when Pujols hits into a double play with the bases loaded to end a threat. Reach into them in July when he’s gone a month without a home run. Embrace them when he looks more like Matt Carpenter (2019-21) than Matt Carpenter (2012-2018).

While Pujols has come to came looking much more svelte than he did the last time he was in Busch (the Dodger greys tended to accentuate that middle that let me identify with a professional athlete for maybe the first time) and he and everyone else is saying the right things about him being motivated, looking good, still having a lot of baseball left, the fact remains that the odds of this reunion going less than smoothly is….well, tell ‘em K2:

There are going to be times when we are frustrated with the results. There are times when we are going to wonder if this was a mistake. There may be games that would have gone differently had he not started or pinch-hit.

Be all that as it may, this is still an amazing opportunity to appreciate the romance of baseball. The legend coming back to where it all started, to go out with his best friend (and both of them then being on the same Hall of Fame ballot in 2027). One last ride by two people (and perhaps three, if Adam Wainwright decides to hang them up) that have made an impact on the team and the fanbase that will be hard to replicate for years to come.

Look, Matt Carpenter spent a decade in St. Louis. He was a homegrown player who developed into a star. He had a lot of fans and while the last couple of years sullied things a bit, he’s still one of the best farm products that the Cards have had in a long while. He’ll likely some day be a Cardinal Hall of Famer, but he didn’t have the impact on fans that these guys have had.

Conversely, Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are great players, but they came from somewhere else. They have a chance to be legendary—players like Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith shook off their foreign roots to be embedded in St. Louis—but will they have enough time? There’s also something different about being the best player for another organization before coming to St. Louis. It’s hard to articulate, but as much as I love those guys, the feelings are different with them than they are Pujols, Molina, and Wainwright.

It’s so rare when you know when the end is coming and the fact that we know that it is the end, that barring some very weird circumstances Pujols and Molina (at least) will ride off into the sunset after the season and (hopefully) playoffs, should help us swallow any rough patches. After all, we can handle the bad stuff to get this amazing opportunity, right?

I don’t expect standing ovations every time Albert comes to the plate (that would get old real fast) but I also hope we don’t see a lot of harsh criticism of him either. When he fails, it’s fair to talk about it. I’m sure he’ll wind up with a couple of Goats over at the blog. I just don’t want to see it go overboard, with a lot of gripes, complaints, and even boos. I doubt it goes that far but you’d hate to see it happen.

The storybook ending, of course, is that they go out with another ring. That doesn’t seem overly likely to happen (though it’s not impossible to conceive) but this reunion tour, this second chance we didn’t see coming, is storybook enough.

Enjoy the ride, even with its ups and downs. We won’t see the like of it again.