Could an MLB legend become a manager at some point down the road? Albert Pujols, who surpassed Alex Rodriguez for fourth all-time in career home runs before retiring in 2022, recently said he would be open to the idea of managing someday, per Sam Blum of The Athletic.
“Yeah. I think, why not? I think if the opportunity is right one day, I think I’ll be ready for that,” Pujols said of potentially becoming a big league manager.
Pujols enjoyed a terrific MLB career. He finished his career with 703 home runs and 3,384 hits. Overall, the future Hall-of-Famer slashed .296/.374/.544/.918. He also won three MVP awards during his time in MLB.
There is no question that Pujols would already have no shortage of respect in a big league clubhouse given all of his accolades and accomplishments. But he's also known as a great leader. Even if Pujols didn't enjoy a legendary career, he still would have earned respect around the league.
Pujols previously echoed a similar sentiment when asked about potentially managing at the MLB level. He also addressed possible front office opportunities.
“I think if the right time comes and it’s the right scenario, of course — what player doesn’t want to be a manager?” Pujols said previously, via Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “You know what I mean? For me, my time will come if it’s the right thing. … If you have the opportunity to be a minority owner of the team or you’re looking to get into that spot, I am learning that from the commissioner’s (office).
“I knew everything from the field, and I still learn a lot there. Now, I look at it from the other side. Why are you doing that? You’re preparing yourself to look at the game and now talk about it, from this different angle.”
Albert Pujols will be ready for potential manager job
It should be noted that Albert Pujols is already receiving managing experience. He was recently named the head coach of a Dominican Republic team. Pujols has also carved out a respectable media career since retiring.
It is clear that Pujols has a love for the game. Pujols always worked hard during his career and he still seemingly wants to remain involved in the game despite his days as a player coming to an end.
It will be intriguing to see if Albert Pujols ends up managing in the big leagues at some point.
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