I'm not sure if this qualifies as a rumor, exactly, but this comes from MLB Rumors:
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The hushed voice of KMOX sports reporter Kevin Wheeler has joined the whispers in St. Louis that Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols may be headed for a fall, not merely because Pujols has been playing with foot, leg and various other aches and pains in recent years but because far more serious trouble awaits him.
"Albert is the perfect hitter," says Wheeler, who hosts the weekly program "Rating the Cards" on the 50,000-watt voice of the midwest. "...The only concern about Albert's ability to put up big offensive numbers is his health.
"He was already voicing concern about his right elbow, which probably needs Tommy John surgery, and if that elbow (or the back or the hammies) give him significant trouble ... he might not be able to battle through the pain again."
Speculation is growing that the Dominican slugger may miss significant portions or perhaps even all of the season, though it doesn't seem to make sense that Pujols would have waited this late to make the decision to undergo invasive medical procedures had he not already committed to try to play in 2008.
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Right. If he weren't going to play -- or try to play -- he'd already have gone under the knife, wouldn't he? I think he'll be in the Cardinals' Opening Day lineup, but at this point I don't have any idea whether he'll play 160 games or 60.
Last year Pujols' numbers were solid, but they were also his worst since 2002. A one-year blip? Here's the comment on Pujols in the new Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster: "Sizeable drops in PX, SX, hr/f, but other skills held strong. Given sheer number of ailing parts (oblique, knee, hamstring, elbow, calf), we can probably blame this on injury. Consider this a rare buying opportunity."
We could do that. Or we could consider that list of ailing parts a big red warning sign. As a fan, I'm pulling for Pujols to get healthy and keep piling up the big numbers. As an analyst, I'm worried.
Rob Neyer
