[luckymann]

By Nik Hill, Head Commentator, PBL-TV

As the second month of this 1961 PBL season comes to a close, one player continues to stand out for his sterling on-field performance: Florida outfielder “Prince” Albert Pujols. The 21-year-old Dominican-born superstar has dominated Southeast League pitchers, and is one of the main reasons his Panthers sit atop the South Division standings – albeit only by 2 games from both Atlanta and Kansas City – with a solid record of 32-21.

To make it slightly more equitable, let’s look at where he sits in some of the stat categories on a combined basis, in other words for the entire PBL.

• HR: 1st – 13
• RBI: t-2nd – 47 (leader, Joe DiMaggio with 50)
• OBP: 4th – .431 (leader, Pee Wee Reese at .438)
• SLG: 1st – .771 (next best is DiMaggio at .552)
• OPS: 1st – 1.133 (the only player above or even close to 1.000; Willie McCovey is next with .957)
• WAR: 1st – 3.6 (Ichiro Suzuki next at 2.5)
• R: t-4th – 44 (leader, Pee Wee Reese with 50)
• 2B: 1st – 25
• TB: 1st – 141
• EBH: 1st – 41 (next best are on 30)
• ISO: 1st - .348 (more than 100 points above the next best)
• OPS+: 1st – 206
• WPA: 1st – 3.18
• wOBA: 1st - .473 (53 points ahead of next best)
• RC/27: 1st – 11.8
• wRC+: 1st – 202
• wRAA: 1st – 28.3 (more than 10 above the next best)

The really impressive thing about all of this is his BABIP of .335 is below his .353 BA, so it’s not as if this amazing productivity is unsustainable. Were he to somehow be able to maintain this pace, here’s how this season will end up for The Prince:

41 home runs
79 doubles
149 RBI
89.6 wRAA
11.4 WAR

I’m sure all of you, like me, would love to see him do that. If he does, we may need to promote him to King.