Why Pujols & Fielder Left the NL Central

The offseason between the 2011 and 2012 Major League
Baseball seasons was a good time to be a free agent – particularly if you
played first base.  We won’t see the true
impact of some of Pujols and Fielder relocating until the season is  underway, but the thought process of their
decision to not only switch teams, but switch leagues is clearly evident.

The American League Facilitates Longevity

While the National League has its fair share of power
hitters, make no mistake – any true home run hitter clamors for the opportunity
to play in the American League. The major reason is due to the fact that the
American League employs the Designated Hitter rule, allowing teams to give
their sluggers the day off defensively without losing their bat in the lineup.
When the Angels signed Pujols to a 10 year, $254 million dollar deal it most
certainly wasn’t because they felt that Pujols could play the rest of his
career at first base, albeit a less physically demanding position than most
others on the field.  No, it was because
they knew that Pujols wanted a long-term deal and that their place in the American
League meant they could afford to give him the years he wanted at a much lower
risk than a National League team could.

A Change of Scenery

No offense to America’s heartland, but compared to other
cities, St. Louis and Milwaukee just aren’t that exciting.  Pujols decision to play for the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim gives him a major scenery upgrade.  His other highly considered option was Miami
which has some amazing off-field perks as well, but as mentioned earlier, when
it came to a long term deal a NL team didn’t stand a chance.  So Pujols goes from a city that loved him and
baseball above all else, to a city where attending a baseball game might be
your third or fourth option for the evening. There is a larger pool of
potential fans to pull from in the Los Angeles area, but you would be hard
pressed to find a more devoted group of baseball fans than the city of St.
Louis. 

Fielder’s signing with the Detroit Tigers comes with a
change of scenery as well, just not the same switch that Pujols is enjoying
right now.  Fielder’s move is likely due
in large part to his history with the city where his dad played from
1990-1996.  Detroit might not look
exactly like it did when his father, Cecil, played more than a decade and a
half ago, but you can bet that the fans will embrace Prince as much, if not
more than they did his father. For some, going to a place where the fans adore
you, can make it seem like the prettiest place in the world.

New Challenges

While every Major Leaguer’s work ethic is different, you don’t
get the chance to play in the Majors without some kind of drive and
determination to be among the best at your respective position. Pujols has seen
great post-season success, winning two World Series Championships in his time
in St. Louis.  No doubt he wanted to
prove that he was the main reason for his team’s success and the best way to
prove that is to leave town and repeat your success with a completely different
franchise.

Fielder has seen success on the stat-sheet, but
not necessarily in the playoffs.  There
were also grumblings that he felt he was being overshadowed by his teammate and
reigning NL MVP, Ryan Braun. Much like the Kobe and Shaq separation in the
early 2000’s, Fielder wanted to go to a team with a good supporting cast, but
where he was the clear clubhouse stat-sheet leader and fan-favorite in the
town.  It won’t be easy, as he still has
to overtake Miguel Cabrera for that title, but we see him having a much easier
time in Detroit. Prince had made up his mind to leave Milwaukee long before the
steroid allegations against Ryan Braun surfaced, which probably only reassured
him that leaving town was the right thing to do if he ever wanted to win a
championship. Prince isn’t the kind of guy who wants to be a part of a
franchise in “rebuild” mode, especially spending so many of those types of
years with the Brewers.