During Friday night’s St. Louis Cardinals telecast, the two first basemen, Albert Pujols of the Cardinals and the home Colorado Rockies’ Todd Helton, were pictured chatting at first base by the FOX Sports Midwest cameras.
Broadcasters Dan McLaughlin and Ricky Horton stepped aside from calling balls and strikes, spending a fair amount of time discussing how much Pujols has admired Helton over the years. Six and a half years older than Pujols, Helton became a full-time major leaguer in 1998. Pujols’ rookie season followed in 2001.
The two may have been first and most closely linked in 2003. That season, Pujols won his first National League batting title, edging Helton by the closest margin in league history – just .00022.
The Friday in-game discussion made me think about Helton’s career trajectory and whether Pujols might follow.
One of the most feared hitters in the game in the early half of last decade and a Colorado icon, Helton logged five consecutive All-Star appearances from 2...
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