This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/11/2013
Pujols' rookie season of 2001 was downright frightening. He set National League rookie records with 130 RBI and 360 total bases, while amassing the all-time fifth-best rookie home run tally with 37. Naturally, he was voted to the All-Star Game and captured Rookie of the Year, and he has soared ever since. Cards manager Tony La Russa said it best: "A lot of guys have talent and play below it. This guy keeps maximizing his talent and keeps wanting to learn. For anybody, he sets the bar. The way he works, the way he's willing to learn, he's the best player I ever managed." This Mizuno N201 game-issued, batting-practice-model bat from Pujols' breakout year measures 34" long and weighs 29 oz. It's a block-letter style with good usage in the form of extensive cleat marks, blue ball-transfer marks and contact marks throughout the barrel surface, along with light pine tar on the upper handle. Prince Albert's uniform number "5" is notated on both ends in black. Many believe Pujols to be the best player in the game (sorry, Ichiro) and some foresee best-ever status. LOA from John Taube of PSA/DNA.