(07-14-2021, 04:02 PM)ChadR Wrote: He crushed it. If he can stay away from injuries, he might end up being better than his dad.He'll have to stay healthy. Vlad Sr put up some big numbers. He was one of my favorites to watch and he never played for a team I followed. Everybody knows he was a power hitter but until just now I didn't realize he batted .320+ seven times. Very short list of power hitters that ever did that. I liked him because he always had that happy islander spirit and accent. I remember an interview long ago. He really didn't strike out much but he was a free swinger. He was being challenged for swinging at some bad pitches out of the strike zone. He just laughed and basically said "I swing if I think I can hit it because nobody ever "walked" off the island."
Pujols was similar in approach. He had a great eye but if you tried to pitch around him when it mattered I can't count how many times I saw him put a pitch 10 inches off the ground about 10 rows deep in the outfield seats. The real hitters with heart know they aren't being paid to trot down to first base because it's easy. I realize you know all that Chad. I just have a special appreciation for the true competitors that realize they are supposed to make it happen.