Albert Pujols is not worthy of a 1st Round Pick

[davetniagarafalls]

An argument can be made that Albert Pujols is no longer worthy of being a first round pick. What? Heresy! Now, even if the response/reaction is not THAT strong, it is still likely that no one on these boards would dare allow Albert to slip out of the first round. And the reason is less to do with Pujols as it is about who would be in there instead of him. And this is true because there are no sure things in the first round and every player has holes - although in another thread Greg noted that only 20 different players have been selected in the first round across the early DC leagues. The funny thing is that some of us, essentially, know (ok, believe) that Pujols will not produce value worthy of a first round pick. At the same time, others can’t imagine that last year was anything but a blip on the radar screen. Certainly he will return to $35-$45 value in 2013. The problem is that $35-$45 values come from the counting stats combined with a batting average in the .325 range, something Pujols did for almost a decade. The decline began in 2011 and deepened last year. So now we are looking at a .285-.300 hitter with decreasing power. Still solid but at a $value in the mid-high 20s – and not worthy of a first round selection. And certainly not at the key power hitting position in your lineup. Now, all this said, would I let him go into the 2nd round if I were drafting at the end of the first round? Nope. Heck, you have to pick someone!