Albert Pujols of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim named the American League Player of the Week

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim first baseman Albert Pujols has been named the American League Player of the Week for the period ending August 5th. This is Albert’s 12th career weekly honor (last accomplished for the week ending August 6, 2011) and his first since joining the Angels in the A.L. The announcement was made earlier today on MLB Network.

Pujols batted .424 (14-for-33) with five doubles, six home runs, 13 RBI and nine runs scored in seven games played. The 32-year-old was at or near the top in several Major League offensive categories for the week, leading the Majors in homers, RBI and total bases (37) and finishing second in hits and slugging percentage (1.121). Among his A.L. counterparts, Pujols was tied for first in doubles, ranked second in runs scored and was sixth in batting average.

In the opener of a four-game set with the A.L. West rival Texas Rangers on July 30th, the Dominican-born Pujols went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, two RBI and two runs scored as the Angels recorded a season high in runs to defeat the A.L. West leaders, 15-8, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. On Tuesday, the right-handed-hitting slugger used the long ball to drive the Halos to their second straight win over their division rivals, launching a pair of homers en route to a 6-2 Angels victory. Pujols scored the game’s first run with a solo shot in the fourth inning and followed up with another blast in the sixth in his first multi-homer game in an Angels uniform. On Wednesday, the 13th round pick in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft (by St. Louis) launched a pair of homers and tied a season high with four RBI (third time) as the Angels dropped an 11-10 decision to Texas in 10 innings. Pujols’ second consecutive multi-homer contest was the 45th in his 12-year career, including his three-homer showing for the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series against the Rangers. Pujols’ clubs have gone 37-7 in games in which he homers at least twice. The three-time
National League MVP has batted .329 (98-for-298) with 23 doubles, 23 homers and 67 RBI since he was batting a season-low .190 with one homer and nine RBI on May 8th. On the season, Albert is hitting .289 with 31 doubles, 24 homers, 76 RBI and 62 runs scored.

Other noteworthy performances last week included Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski (.333, 5 HR, 11 RBI); newly acquired second baseman Omar Infante (.471, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI) of the Detroit Tigers; Tampa Bay Rays right-hander James Shields (three-hit SHO, 0 BB, 11 SO at Oakland on July 31st); and Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez (two-hit SHO, 2 BB, 6 SO at the New York Yankees on August 4th).

In recognition of his American League Player of the Week Award, Albert Pujols will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches, available at MLB.com.