The Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols poses for a portrait on Feb 18, 2020 at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe during last year’s spring training in Arizona (Orange County Register file photo)

Latino Power The Top Sluggers in Baseball

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2021 baseball season is scheduled to begin on April 1. Today, among all active players, the top four (4) active sluggers with the most home runs are all Latinos. Albert Pujols (Angels) 662, Miguel Cabrera (Tigers) 487, Edwin Encarnación (Free Agent) 424, Nelson Cruz (Twins) 417.

They all play with teams in the American League and are the only active Latino players with 400 plus home runs. 1-Albert Pujols (Dominican Republic) will begin the last year of a $240 million ten-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels. Pujols played 2001-2011 with the St Louis Cardinals and since 2012 to date with the Angels.

This would be his 20th season. His most impressive statistic is his runs batted in, which shows his great and consistent hitting excellence. Pujols is #3 among the all-time RBI leaders in history with 2,100 runs-batted-in.

Only Henry Aaron (2,297) and Babe Ruth (2,213) is ahead of him. He doesn’t like to talk about his statistics while playing, he always told me; “hablaremos de eso cuando me retire, pero no ahora” -trans: “when I retire we can talk about it, but not now”.

Pujols is #5 on the All-Time home run list behind, Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Alex Rodríguez.  Pujols begins 2021 with 662 home runs; no other active player is remotely close. 2-Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) Detroit Tigers. He is also at the twilight of his career, one of the top clutch hitters of his generation.

I once asked Cabrera how he manages to hit so well – over .360 with runners in scoring position: “I don’t know, but I have the same approach every time I come to the plate.” Cabrera began with the Florida Marlins in 2003 and played there until 2007.

From 2008 until today with the Detroit Tigers Cabrera is the ninth player in history to win three (3) consecutive batting titles. In 2012 became first player since Carl Yastremski (1967) to win the Triple Crown. He has won most hitting awards. Hard working and an easy going player that is also a future Hall of Famer.

Cabrera is a lifetime .313 hitter in his 18 years of play. Cabrea begins 2021 with 487 round-trippers. 3-Edwin Encarnación (Dominican Republic) at the time of this article he is a Free Agent and looking to return for his 17th Major League Season.

The Chicago White Sox declined their $12 million club option for his services last November, after a disappointing 2020 season he played 44 of the 60 game-schedule with the White Sox hit .157 with ten home runs and 19 RBIs.

During his years in Toronto Encarnación produced the best power numbers at the plate and is considered the best Designated Hitter in the history of the Blue Jays. Played with the Reds, Blue Jays, Indians, Mariners, Yankees and White Sox. Colorful and happy-go-lucky player, after he hits a home run he sticks out his right arm and holds it parallel to the ground as he rounds the bases, the fans called it “Walking the Parrot” – he said, he is fine with it.

He stands today with 424 home runs. 4-Nelson Cruz (Dominican Republic) Cruz is back this season as the Designated Hitter for the Minnesota Twins, a heavy-laden home run line-up. The Twins own the current single season record for most home runs by a team with 307 in 2019.

From 2005-2020 a 16-year career for “Nelly “considered one of the most dangerous and impressive home run hitters in the game, many of his shots flirting with the 500 foot distance are real mammoth shots.

When younger players talk about ‘launch angle’ it is like they’re talking about this man swing, Cruz always swings for the fences. There is no joke to his nickname, “Boomstick”. One of his most memorable quotes: “I always have high expectations for me” At 40 years of age, Cruz is still a very dangerous hitter. He will begin 2021 with 417 home runs.

MLB is altering the baseball slightly this season. A memo was sent to all 30 clubs citing an independent lab that found the new balls will fly one to two feet shorter on balls hit over 375 feet.

However, this will not affect Pujols, Cabrera, Encarnación or Cruz, because for these types of power guys when they square a ball, it would not matter if the ball is heavier or not, it will fly. Latinos not active (all-time home run list) #4 Alex Rodríguez 696, #9 Sammy Sosa 609, #13 Rafael Palmeiro 569, #14 Reggie(Martínez) Jackson 563, #15 Manny Ramírez 555, #17 David Ortíz 541, #20 Ted Williams 521 #31 Adrián Beltré 477, #34 Carlos Delgado 473, #37 José Canseco 462, #40 Vladimir Guerrero 449, #46 Carlos Beltrán 435, #47 Juan González 434, #55 Alfonso Soriano 412.

There are many more great Latino players who retired with less than 400 home runs’ Longest Home Run ever? George Herman “Babe” Ruth (NY) in 1921 hit a 575 foot blast at Navin Field in Detroit; there are stories of Ruth hitting some even longer.

Stay well and stay tuned.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish radio Network and does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com