Pujols' Shadow Looms Large in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS -- Dozens of the best baseball players in the world have converged here, all joining together in one large shadow.

"Right now in the big leagues, there is Albert Pujols, and everyone else," Yankees slugger Mark Teixeira said.

The All-Star Game this year has fittingly arrived in the city where the game's pre-eminent star plays. Pujols has been a star since he arrived in the big leagues in 2001. This year, though, as he's taking a shot at the sport's first Triple Crown since 1969, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Pujols is more than simply an All-Star.

"Everyone besides Pujols is pretty human," Royals pitcher Zack Greinke said.

Anyone who can read a stat sheet can tell you that Pujols is putting up unusual numbers. But we wanted to know a little more.

How's he doing it?

So, with the best players in the majors assembled, FanHouse went around the room and asked them for their analysis of Pujols.

Freddy Sanchez, Pirates second baseman:
"He really is unbelievable. You just watch him. He does everything you could want as a hitter. He's got a great eye. He's patient, but he's always ready to hit. I catch myself at second base sometimes watching him at the dish and thinking 'There's nowhere we can throw it that he's not going to hit it.' He's just an amazing hitter."

Carlos Pena, Rays first baseman:
"This guy is a different breed of hitter. we all work really hard at what we do. We all put in all our effort, but he's at another level. For him to do what he's done for the past 10 years, and to do it at an extraordinary level, is hard to believe."

Zach Duke, Pirates pitcher:
"You never see him swing and not hit a ball, and not hit it hard. Every time I've seen him swing it's a double in the gap or a home run or a scalded line drive somewhere."

Ryan Braun, Brewers outfielder:
"He'll get one pitch per at-bat or every other at-bat and he finds a way to center it up, which is incredible. It's fun to watch him play. I'd say it's fun to compete against him except most of the time he comes out on top... He's just balanced. It looks like he never gets fooled. He's always in control. He always looks like he has a game plan and he sticks to it every time. He gets the the barrel on the ball more consistently than anyone else in baseball."

"He'll get one pitch per at-bat or every other at-bat and he finds a way to center it up, which is incredible."
-- Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun on PujolsMatt Cain, Giants pitcher:
"He's not fooled by much. He wants to hit every pitch you throw up there and he wants to hit it hard. He doesn't get fooled very often, which shows you how locked in he is. I'm just glad we're done facing him this year."

Brian McCann, Braves catcher:
"What no one talks about is how good he is defensively. To me he's the best player in baseball, all around. He's a game-changer, even if he doesn't swing the bat, that's how good he is."

Josh Beckett, Red Sox pitcher:
"He has the ability to hit pitches when the pitcher feels like he made his pitch, and he doesn't just get hits, he hits them hard."

Jason Bay, Red Sox outfielder:
"You can tell that he takes his competitiveness to a different level, whether it's running the bases or defense. You don't get to this level without being competitive, but it's fairly obvious that he takes it up a notch. He has the skill-set and the drive to take it up to the next level... He's unstoppable now."

Mark Teixeira, Yankees first baseman:
"As a power hitter, I go through so many peaks and valleys during the season. I'll go a month where I hit everything and then a month where I couldn't hit a softball if you threw it to me, but he is so consistent. He's has good at-bats every time."

Justin Morneau, Twins first baseman:
"When we were here a couple weeks ago, the thing that impressed me was his defense. He was all over that field. He made four or five diving stops, and then he got two pitches to hit and hit two home runs. He does everything. I'm glad he's in the National League... When there's one guy that everybody can't wait to see, that tells you something. He's the guy that everyone is looking forward to watching."