May 22, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Albert Pujols (5) hits a three run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the ninth inning at PNC Park. The Cardinals won 18-4. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
MLBBy Matt Clapp on

Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that the St. Louis Cardinals‘ Albert Pujols will participate in the 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby next Monday night at Dodger Stadium.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced last Friday that Pujols and the Detroit Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera would participate in the All-Star Game as legacy selections.

Pujols is a three-time MVP and two-time World Series champion, and he’s now an 11-time All-Star Game selection. He has 684 career home runs and entered play on Monday with a .916 career OPS.

And on Monday night in the Cardinals’ game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Pujols became No. 3 on MLB’s all-time extra-base hits list — behind only Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds — with this double:

It’s been an incredible career for Pujols that will land him in the Baseball Hall of Fame one day.

But Pujols is now a 42-year-old with five homers and a .674 OPS in 2022 (his final season), and he’s many years removed from being an above-average major-league hitter. So, the announcement of his Home Run Derby participation has drawn very mixed reactions from baseball fans.

Here’s a sampling of how the baseball world has reacted to the news that Pujols will in the Home Run Derby:

https://twitter.com/JATayler/status/1546646635475877888

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About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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