Tom Verducci's picks for the 2006 season.

[love_that_reefer]

How do we know he didn't get looked at in high school anyway? Hell I was even looked at in high school by the Dbacks and Reds and look at me now, talking with you guys on a goddamn computer.

[DirtyKash]

I'm just sayin' that I wouldn't put much stock into how young Pujols is, nor should the media, because that info has to be questioned. It's not credible at all.

He's still a great hitter, but it wouldn't surprise me if his career goes downhill when he's (supposedly) 32-33 years old.

Unless he goes the Bonds route.

[love_that_reefer]

No, he can't go the Bonds route. Bonds found his swing late in his career. Pujols has already found it.

[Dam8610]

No, he can't go the Bonds route. Bonds found his swing late in his career. Pujols has already found it.

Finding a swing is not done by injecting substances into one's body. Pujols won't be able to inject himself with those substances when his career starts to falter, because it is now against MLB rules as well as federal law (which it already was) to put said substances into one's body (without a prescription in the case of federal law).

[love_that_reefer]

Finding a swing is not done by injecting substances into one's body. Pujols won't be able to inject himself with those substances when his career starts to falter, because it is now against MLB rules as well as federal law (which it already was) to put said substances into one's body (without a prescription in the case of federal law).

I think he's agreeing with me?

[Dam8610]

I think he's agreeing with me?

No, he's not. He's saying Barroid achieved success through illegal substances, not "finding his swing".

[love_that_reefer]

Oh then you might be half right but half is stretching it. Bonds swing is more compact and short than it was in his early MVP years. His knowledge of the strike zone is the biggest contributor to his success. Not his "barroids". That was the point of my comment. Pujols already possesses these things.

[Providence A's]

as I've said, steroids helped him play at a higher level for a longer period of time by reducing the time required for his body to recover from exercise (whether it be the daily activities of baseball or being able to lift weights more often to increase his muscle mass)...that's how they work.

[love_that_reefer]

Thanks for the irrelevant comment Providence. We are talking about his swing.

[Providence A's]

he wouldn't be able to swing if he wasn't able to play because of the steroids smart ass. He already had the tools of a great eye, plate discipline, blah blah blah...all the steroids did was allow him to maintain a high level of play well into the years where he should have been on the decline.

[Dam8610]

Oh then you might be half right but half is stretching it. Bonds swing is more compact and short than it was in his early MVP years. His knowledge of the strike zone is the biggest contributor to his success. Not his "barroids". That was the point of my comment. Pujols already possesses these things.

Well, at least you'll admit that steroids had some impact on his career, which is more than you'll get out of most Giants fans.

The main contributor to his career "rejuvenation" was steroids, not his batting eye. Steroids allowed him to add muscle mass to his body by working out (steroids add mass to your body, working out makes it muscle mass), which allowed him to swing the bat faster (the compact swing you're talking about), and allowed him to naturally crowd the plate more (more mass means less room to throw an inside pitch), but also took away his speed, basically turning him into a pure slugger (where he thought the $$ would be at in the future). He has a great batting eye, and great hand/eye coordination, but steroids did a lot more for him than his batting eye ever could.

[love_that_reefer]

That was my point Providence. He didn't have the eye or plate discipline til later in his career. He has never struck out a lot sure but he stopped chasing balls out of the strike zone and starting hitting "his" pitch which he did not do well in his earlier years. It all came with age, not the ability to play ten extra games a year.

[Pronk48]

AL Disappointing Team
2006: Indians. Similarly, I think the Indians, who took a big leap forward last year, with take a smaller step backward with five to 10 fewer wins.

I just don't see this happening.If anything,I see the Indians winning more games than last year.Maybe not 10 more games,but a few.

[love_that_reefer]

Well, at least you'll admit that steroids had some impact on his career, which is more than you'll get out of most Giants fans.

The main contributor to his career "rejuvenation" was steroids, not his batting eye. Steroids allowed him to add muscle mass to his body by working out (steroids add mass to your body, working out makes it muscle mass), which allowed him to swing the bat faster (the compact swing you're talking about), and allowed him to naturally crowd the plate more (more mass means less room to throw an inside pitch), but also took away his speed, basically turning him into a pure slugger (where he thought the $$ would be at in the future). He has a great batting eye, and great hand/eye coordination, but steroids did a lot more for him than his batting eye ever could.

So now it was the roids that took away the speed and ot his age? You can't have it both ways man. Either he should decline or he shouldn't. With age came a better command of the strikezone and a loss of speed. Bonds using a different and lighter bat will contribute to that quicker, faster stroke. Providence is right to say that roids will keep you in the lineup.

[Providence A's]

well, the effect of taking steroids would have done more than "add 10 games" to his season, but I'll just leave it at that because I don't feel like arguing something that people firmly believe one way or the other.