Before Opening Day of each baseball season, I like to see who the writers pick to win the World Series and individual awards.  It’s probably a waste of time, because most writers do not mention their choices during the season, and I am not going to remember their predictions in October.

This year may different, though, because some predictions were so surprising that I don’t think I can forget them – nor the people who made the predictions.  Hall of Fame writer Peter Gammons picked Bobby Crosby to win AL MVP and that is not even the most absurd prognostication.  The most bizarre predictions came from the writers who did not pick Albert Pujols to win NL MVP.

Instead some picked an aging Barry Bonds, future MVP David Wright, Andruw Jones, and JD Drew.  (If that writer gets to vote for MVP, MLB needs to revoke his or her ballot.)  Who knows, they could be right, and as new Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards likes to say “that’s why we play the games.”  But do they honestly feel any other player is more likely to win the NL MVP than Albert Pujols?  If every player had the same odds would they put their money on someone else?

In the first two weeks of the season Pujols has made these prognosticators look pretty foolish.  Through 13 games, he already has eight home runs – including three on Sunday – and 17 RBIs while batting .341 with a 1.442 on base plus slugging percentage (OPS).  Of course it’s early, and Detroit Tigers first baseman Chris Shelton leads the majors with nine dingers, but Pujols has been putting up MVP numbers his whole career. 

If Barry Bonds was not abolishing the record books, we would be more aware of Pujols’ greatness, and he could have four more MVPs.  In his first four seasons, Pujols has averaged 40 home runs and 124 RBI, while hitting .333 with an OPS of 1.040.  Only baseball immortals Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams began their careers with similar numbers.  Last time I checked, they were considered two of the top ten hitters of all time.

So why the disrespect for Pujols?  Maybe it’s because he is a quiet superstar and people are still in awe of Bonds or caught up in the New York hype machine pertaining to David Wright.  Or perhaps they simply do not realize Albert Pujols is that much better than everyone else.

Remember when Charles Barkley and Karl Malone beat out Michael Jordan for the league’s best player, and Jordan showed everyone who the real MVP was during the playoffs by beating both players’ teams in the finals?  Or what about when Hakeem dream-shaked David Robinson and the Spurs out of the playoffs, after Robinson won MVP for the regular season?   Sometimes reporters make mistakes – and great players force you to remember those mistakes.

Jordan and Hakeem had the playoffs to prove the dissenters wrong, Albert Pujols has 162 games.  Each day he can look at those predictions and think about the disrespect.  If I were an opposing pitcher, I’d be pretty mad at some of these writers.