Walk Pujols With the Bases Loaded? It's Not as Crazy as It Sounds

There aren't enough superlatives in the world to describe how great a hitter Albert Pujols is, and how he continues to get better. Mired in a slump -- a slump for Pujols usually means he's gone five at bats without homering but this time it meant only two bombs since the All-Star break -- Pujols busted out in New York on Tuesday night, with a grand slam off of Sean Green to keep the Cardinals even with the Cubs atop the NL Central.

It was Albert's second home run of the game, so it appears we can stop worrying about that slump of his, but it's also the latest sign that pitchers may want to start taking a different approach with Senor Pujols when he comes to the plate with the bases loaded.

We're always hearing about what a genius Pujols' manager Tony La Russa is for some of the non-traditional decisions he makes with his teams. Things like batting the pitcher in the eighth spot in hopes of having another runner on base when Pujols comes up to the plate.

Well, maybe it's time other managers start showing some similarly unorthodox thinking:

Forget just walking Pujols with first base open. Walk him with the bases loaded.

It sounds ludicrous, I know. Why would you walk a run in on purpose? How does giving the other team a run help your team? Good question. Here's a better one. How does throwing pitches over the heart of the plate with the bases loaded to Pujols -- who netted his fifth grand slam of the season last night -- help your team? Isn't it better to give up one run than two, three or four? Do you play Russian roulette with five bullets instead of one?

Want proof this makes sense? Check out some of these numbers, courtesy of ESPN's Buster Olney.

Pujols is now 7-for-9 with five home runs and 24 RBI with the bases loaded this season. Surprisingly, he has been doing his damage early in the count or when behind (he is 6-for-6 with four homers when the situation is either first pitch or pitcher ahead in the count). More amazingly, perhaps: He's taken 20 swings with the bases loaded and hit five home runs with only two swing-and-misses. He's 2.5 times more likely to hit a HR than to swing and miss.

That means every time Pujols comes to the dish with the sacks full, he's averaging .55 homers and 2.67 RBI per plate appearance. He also has an OPS of 3.144 in those nine at bats.

Had opponents just walked Pujols every time he came up in those situations he'd have no grand slams, nine RBI and an OPS of 1.000.

I hear what you're saying. "Sure, by walking Pujols in those situations you may have only allowed one run, but you still have to deal with Matt Holliday directly afterward, and he's not a slouch with the bat either."

Still, even though Holliday is hitting .500 with a homer and 10 RBI in six bases-loaded opportunities, I'd rather take my chances with him. While Pujols is averaging 2.67 RBI per bases loaded at bat, Holliday is averaging 1.67 RBI per bases loaded at bat. So if you add the one run that you brought in by walking Albert, you're still giving up 2.67 runs per at bat.

In other words, you're not hurting yourself at all. In fact, you're probably helping yourself. I mean, six at bats isn't exactly the largest sample size in the world -- not that 24 is either, for argument's sake -- so it's likely that the more chances Holliday gets with the bags juiced the lower his production will become.

At least a lot more likely than it is for Pujols, who has shown us throughout his entire career that if you leave a pitch over the plate, he's going to kill it.

So in the long run you're going to help your team more than you hurt it. This may not be as important for non-division foes from the NL West and NL East, but for Central Division opponents who have to face the Cardinals 15-17 times and are a lot more likely to see Pujols come up to the plate in such a situation, this is probably the best strategy.

Granted, there's one situation where this rule does not apply. Obviously, if you're playing the Cardinals in an extra-inning game in St. Louis and Pujols comes up with the bases loaded you're not going to walk him and end the game.

Everything else is fair game. Holding on to a one-run lead? Rather be tied than down three. Top of the 12th inning in a tie game? Easier to score one run in the bottom half than it is three or four.

As with any decision in baseball, there will be times when it comes back to bite you, but I'm telling you, there will be a lot more times when walking him saves you from a loss.

So, go ahead, managers of the baseball world. Buck tradition. Throw caution to the wind and walk Pujols with the bases loaded.

If nothing else you'll infuriate La Russa.