Hands down the most dominant player of the 2000's. Anybody watching and collecting at the time could tell you he was "the guy" to chase, similar to Jr. in the 90's. The Angels probably expected to get 4-5 years of remaining prime Pujols, but the fall-off came much sooner than expected. Regardless, baseball is defined by generational players and 2001-2010 belong to him. He was great for the sport at a time when it was reeling from PED scandals.
This is my only Pujols. Wanted an attractive on-card rookie auto I wouldn't need to mortgage a leg for
a la the BCA. Probably the nicest autograph I've seen on a copy, too, as they were notorious for blistering/fading. I grew up reading Beckett magazine and remember this thing sitting on the "Hot List" for years at a time.
