Where in the draft do you take Albert Pujols?

HQ POLL

BaseballHQ has been running this poll after Ron Shandler wrote last week that you shouldn’t take Pujols at all given the injury risk.

Pujols’ three homers since are a strong argument for his ability to continue to hit despite his elbow problems.

But assuming the Cardinals suck, it makes far more sense for him to bail early this year to save next year than to miss next year to the recovery. Right now I think that makes his price $22, though I couldn’t help myself and voted for taking him No. 7-10 in a mixed league draft.

He’s not sure to fail.

4 thoughts on “Where in the draft do you take Albert Pujols?”

  1. I think it will be very risky but very hard to let Pujols drop much lower than 10th. That makes him the first or second first baseman taken.

    He’s having a strong enough spring that I haven’t squashed his projection, but realistically, if you’re playing the risk factor, I think he drops behind not only Howard, Fielder and Berkman, but also Teixeira and Derrek Lee. When I’m being sensible I don’t want to think whether I’d take Pujols or Morneau.

    But since we really don’t know what’s going to happen, and we do know that Pujols can still hit, it’s really a game of guts. Whoever flinches first loses. Or win, maybe.

  2. If he’s now $22, how’s come in the AP software you still have Albert at $37, the top NL 1B by a wide margin?

  3. Ah, because the $22 is all talk right now. And because it’s an NL only price.

    I see in my original comment above I’d said that I “have squashed his projection,” when what I meant to say was that I “haven’t squashed his projection.” Not a little difference there. Sorry.

    The $37 mixed league price in the software is down from about $50 something, where I originally started. It ranks him 10th among major league hitters, which is where he is being taken right now (that’s coincidence, I don’t usually take ADP into account unless I’m really confused about a guy). Howard is 12th, Fielder is 17th, among first basement, which I wouldn’t call a wide margin.

    Would I pay more for Pujols than Howard today? I don’t think so, but I think someone will, or it will be close, which is what the bid prices are designed to nuance.

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