After under going successful foot surgery on Monday, Los Angeles Angels' first baseman Albert Pujols has been ruled out for the next four to five months; however, the official word is that he will be about for four and a half months which will wind up being right around the start of the new season. As a result of this, Pujols could be on the disabled list to begin the season; and according to the team, he repaired "the planter in his right foot."
Even though he ended the season with his lowest batting average as a professional baseball player, .240, the soon-to-be 36 year old finished with 95 runs batted in which is quite an accomplishment considering the fact that he has accomplished this feat in 14 of his 15 seasons. As an added bonus to his club, Pujols hit 40 home runs which was the most he has sit since joining the Southern California ball club.
His most likely replacement should Albert Pujols miss any of the season? Fullerton-native, CJ Cron. Entering his third season in the big leagues, While he does not have the offensive powers as the elder statesman on the team, Cron has put up decent offensive numbers considering the amount of playing time his average hovers around the .260 mark and racked up only 99 hits in 404 plate appearances this previous season, while drawing a fair amount of walks as well.
For the Angels though, they will be hoping that his return will be closer to the four month mark which will allow Pujols to get into better shape before the season starts. However, having Cron does help and although he does not put up nearly the same kind of stats as the veteran, his defensive game is as strong as Pujols' which will be key in the early going.