Among the obstacles for Pujols? His own greatness as a player could inhibit his managerial ambitions. What front office will be willing to hire a presence as large as this one? Can the best right-handed hitter of his generation actually relate to modern players, let alone executives, analysts, trainers, scouts, media members and more?<\/p>\n
As a player, Pujols could be classy, thoughtful and, at times, quite prickly when locked in on his craft. It is difficult to know how any personality translates to a job as all-consuming as the manager. Some breathe in the job quickly. Some take time to lead as their authentic selves. Others get crushed under the pressure or the weight of their own insecurities.<\/p>\n
Schedules for managers can be hectic beyond belief, meeting after meeting with one department or another. No wonder, then, many of the best managers in today\u2019s game trend more toward polished diplomats than the fiery dictators of yesteryear.<\/p>\n
But doubt Pujols\u2019 chances at your own risk. He was once a 13th-round draft pick who became a star overnight, a man who always remained driven by doubts.<\/p>\n
Observing Pujols at exhibition games and the WBC over the past 10 days has been enlightening. He has been poised with the media. Confident in the dugout. Managerial on a team loaded with star egos and controlled on a club that loves to celebrate.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s even looking above the dugout railing with a pair of black-rimmed glasses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had managers such as Tony La Russa, Dave Roberts, Joe Maddon, Oli Marmol, Hall of Famers,\u201d Pujols said. \u201cYou learn a lot from them. \u2026 This is something that I have been developing, and I have the chance to go to the stadium and learn something new every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think that, just because I have been here for 23 years, I know everything. Every time I come to the stadium, I have this open mindset to learn, and I will learn with every play and go back to the hotel thinking, \u2018Well, I could have done this a different way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Also important to note: Pujols at the WBC has carried himself not as some shameless self-promoter but more as someone deeply invested in winning for his home country.<\/p>\n
In the first game of this Classic, his team was tied with underdog Nicaragua into the sixth inning before its offense finally awakened. A reporter asked afterward if Pujols had to give his team extra motivation.<\/p>\n
Pujols lifted the front of his jersey.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother,\u201d he said, \u201cthis is all the motivation you need.\u201d<\/p>\n
The World Baseball Classic is a poor place to judge a manager on the field.<\/p>\n
Information on lesser teams can be limited. Sample sizes for the whole tournament is even smaller than the crapshoot that is the MLB postseason. With pitch-count restrictions and players balancing responsibility to their MLB clubs, the strategy does not compare to a 162-game grind.<\/p>\n
Pujols made a decisive pitching change in the ninth inning of a 7-5 win against Venezuela after Abner Uribe walked the bases loaded. Otherwise, his team has simply slugged its way to a 4-0 record.<\/p>\n
Pujols\u2019 more relevant education came more than a year ago, when he managed Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter League. This was part stepping stone, sure. It was also another deeply emotional assignment.<\/p>\n
Pujols grew up in the shadows of Estadio Quisqueya. He sold frikitaki sandwiches in the stands to help his family. He still remembers watching \u00c1guilas Cibae\u00f1as outfielder Stanley Javier hit for the cycle, just before Pujols left for the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cBack when they used to wear those yellow uniforms,\u201d he said, smiling. \u201cThey were ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n
After his playing career took him beyond his wildest dreams, he returned to manage the Escogido team, overcoming ups and downs, injuries and countless mistakes to win the Dominican Winter League and Caribbean Series titles. He has talked<\/a> about an epiphany \u2014 driving home, frustrated and hit with a realization that he had to be better about sharing his knowledge, helping others.<\/p>\n \u201cAlbert has done a great job, and he\u2019s been doing it from day one in winter ball,\u201d said Yadier Molina, Puerto Rico\u2019s manager and a longtime Cardinals teammate who also holds MLB managerial ambitions. \u201cAlbert is a baseball guy. I think he\u2019s going to be in the big leagues very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Pujols hit 703 home runs over a 22-year career. (Charles LeClaire \/ USA Today)<\/p>\n Back in the winter league, there was no player Pujols poured himself into quite like Junior Caminero, the talented third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays. Caminero charged at the opposing dugout in Game 4 of the championship. He was a brazen slugger who still had much to learn, in ways both physically and emotionally.<\/p>\n Pujols perhaps saw shades of himself in Caminero. He pushed him, talked to him and taught him.<\/p>\n Last season, at age 21, Caminero hit 45 home runs for the Rays. In this WBC, Caminero has also popped two electric home runs, standing out on a D.R. team with limitless star power.<\/p>\n \u201cI think when I got a chance to be his manager in the D.R., I built a great relationship,\u201d Pujols said. \u201cBecause more than the talent and the ability these players have, man, they\u2019re human beings. \u2026 This experience that I\u2019m creating with these guys is probably going to be on the top of my career, to be able to have this talent and this great team.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big believer that, when you allow that to a player, (make them) feel comfortable, you get the best out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n There is a strange lack of modern precedent for a player of Pujols\u2019 stature to command the dugout.<\/p>\n Plenty of Hall of Famers have become managers<\/a>. Few have had prolonged careers on the bench, and equally few have done so recently. Paul Molitor was the most recent Hall of Fame player to manage an MLB game. He spent four seasons with the Twins starting in 2015 and finished with a losing record.<\/p>\n Only five men \u2014 Joe Torre, Frank Robinson, Kirk Gibson, Don Baylor and Don Mattingly \u2014 have won both MVP and Manager of the Year Awards. Ted Williams had a .429 winning percentage in four seasons as a skipper. Even Babe Ruth aspired to be a manager but never got the chance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brad Ausmus, manager of Team Israel in this WBC, managed Pujols for one season with the Angels. This week, he was looking at Pujols in the opposing dugout, unsurprised at his desire to manage.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he really enjoys the strategy of the game, the history of the game,\u201d Ausmus said. \u201cHe\u2019s one of the greatest players to walk the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n Pujols is a deity to young players from the Dominican Republic, one of the stars who inspired their dreams as children. Along with Team D.R. GM Nelson Cruz, the Dominican Republic assembled a dream team of talent ready to come and play with Pujols as their skipper.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/albert-pujols-mlb-scaled.jpg\")
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