St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols: The Perfect Player

Updated: July 13, 2009, 12:13 PM ET

The Perfect Player

Hitting, baserunning, defense -- there isn't much Albert Pujols can't do on the field

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By Tim Kurkjian
ESPN The Magazine
Archive

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has called Albert Pujols "the perfect player,'' which covers it all, says it all.

All-Time Perfection

Is Albert Pujols the most perfect player of all time? Does he rank ahead of Willie Mays or Babe Ruth? Here's your chance to rate the players with the best all-around game. Rank the players

Such an acclamation has been reserved for maybe a handful of players in baseball history, including Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, for it goes beyond the five-tool player, it goes beyond the complete player, it describes a player with no weaknesses.

That is Albert Pujols. So, we spoke to four former players, three of them Hall of Famers, about the brilliance of Pujols as a hitter -- one view from a hitter, one from a pitcher -- a defensive player and a baserunner.

When we were done talking with all four, it was clear that as good as we knew Pujols is, he's a better player than we thought.

Click on one of the four areas:

Hitting | Pitching to Pujols | Defense | Baserunning