Two bolts of lightning energized the baseball card hobby in 2001. One was expected, as Ichiro Suzuki's arrival from Japan was greatly anticipated. The second was one that no one saw coming: a stellar rookie named Albert Pujols.
At a time when almost every up and coming player received his first rookie card before he made it to a major league club (sometimes years before), Pujols was a rare exception. He wasn't a highly regarded prospect, lasting until the 13th round of the 1999 draft, but he rampaged through the St. Louis organization during the 2000 season.
Pujols won a job with the Cardinals in 2001 and promptly turned in one of the more spectacular rookie seasons in recent memory. A unanimous selection as National League Rookie of the Year, he batted .329 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI. Not surprisingly, baseball card manufacturers scrambled to get him in as many products as possible.
All Pujols has done since then is consistently strike fear into the hearts of NL pitchers. With his uncanny combination of patience and power, he's put up historic numbers through his first six seasons, led the Cards to a World Series title and even improved enough on defense to capture a Gold Glove. He's suffered through some nagging injuries, but he is simply the best hitter in the game when healthy.
As his stats continued to pile up, Pujols cards took off like rockets. He has over 40 rookie cards from 2001, but almost all of them command triple digit prices, with some - like his Bowman Chrome # 340 and his SPx # 206 - going for four digits. It's going to be tough for them to keep climbing in the future, but given what Pujols has already accomplished, it's not impossible.
Albert Pujols 2001 Rookie Cards
- Absolute Memorabilia # 157 - jersey card #'d to 700
- Bowman # 264
- Bowman Chrome # 340 - autographed, #'d to 500
- Bowman Heritage # 351
- Bowman's Best # 174 - #'d to 2999
- Donruss # 156 - #'d to 500
- Donruss Class of 2001 # 268 - #'d to 525
- Donruss Classics # 108 - #'d to 585
- Donruss Elite # 156 - #'d to 900
- Donruss Signature # 151 - autographed, #'d to 330
- E-X # 131 - #'d to 499
- Fleer Authority # 102 - #'d to 2001
- Fleer Focus # 245 - #'d to 999
- Fleer Futures # 224 - #'d to 2499
- Fleer Game Time # 121 - #'d to 2000
- Fleer Legacy # 102 - #'d to 499
- Fleer Platinum # 301 - #'d to 1500
- Fleer Premium # 233 - #'d to 1999
- Fleer Showcase # 121 - #'d to 500
- Fleer Tradition # 451
- Fleer Triple Crown # 309 - #'d to 2999
- Leaf Certified Materials # 158 - hat card #'d to 200
- Leaf Limited # 367 - jersey card #'d to 250
- Leaf Rookies and Stars # 205
- SP Authentic # 126 - #'d to 1250
- SP Game Bat Milestone # 92 - bat card #'d to 500
- SP Game Used # 85 - #'d to 500
- SPx # 206 - autographed, #'d to 1500
- Studio # 191 - #'d to 700
- Sweet Spot # 121 - #'d to 1500
- Topps Traded # T247
- Topps Gallery # 135
- Topps Reserve # 103 - #'d to 945
- Topps Stars # 198
- UD Reserve # 204 - #'d to 2500
- Ultimate Collection # 111 - #'d to 250
- Ultra # 277 - #'d to 1499
- Upper Deck # 295
- Upper Deck Evolution # 92 - #'d to 2250
- Upper Deck Gold Glove # 130 - #'d to 500
- Upper Deck Pros and Prospects # 137 - #'d to 500