Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Monday that Major League Baseball has named Albert Pujols as special assistant to the Commissioner. Pujols will consult with MLB on a range of topics, including player relations and issues regarding his home country, the Dominican Republic. As part of his role, Pujols will also serve as an MLB Network on-air analyst, appearing across the network’s programming.
Commissioner Manfred said: “Beyond his long list of accomplishments on the field, Albert is a highly respected figure who represents the game extraordinarily well. He cares greatly about making a difference in our communities. We are excited for Albert to join other former players who are doing important work for our sport, and we will welcome his perspective across our efforts.”
Pujols said: “I couldn't be more excited for this next chapter of my career. Commissioner Manfred and I share the same passion for growing the game in the Dominican Republic and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to join the MLB Network family. I've been a huge fan since the very beginning and can't wait to get started.”
The 2022 season was the final year of the three-time National League Most Valuable Player’s prolific 22-year Major League career, which included 11 All-Star selections during a total of 12 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, 10 years with the Los Angeles Angels, and a season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. With his memorable closing to ’22, the two-time World Series Champion vaulted to fourth in MLB history with 703 home runs, the most all-time by a player who was born outside of the United States. “The Machine” is ninth on the all-time hits list with 3,384. He played for the DR’s national team in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. Pujols, the 2008 recipient of MLB’s Roberto Clemente Award for excellence on and off the field, earned ESPN’s 2022 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his charitable work, notably through the Pujols Family Foundation.
Pujols joins a group of former players who are working in various capacities for Major League Baseball. The group includes Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who serves as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner; Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., who serves as Senior Advisor on youth programs; Special Assistants to the Commissioner CC Sabathia and Hall of Famer Joe Torre; Senior Vice President for On-Field Operations Raul Ibañez, Vice President for On-Field Strategy Joe Martinez, Gregor Blanco, Rajai Davis, Adam Jones, Dan Otero and Bo Porter of MLB’s Baseball Operations Department; and Billy Bean, who is currently Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner.
Pujols will make his MLB Network debut on MLB Central on Tuesday, June 6th at 9:00 a.m. (ET) and on the Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight on Wednesday, June 7th at 10:00 p.m. (ET). Pujols will also contribute to MLB Network’s Friday, June 23rd on-site coverage of MLB’s London Series, featuring the Cardinals meeting the Chicago Cubs.