This story was excerpted from John Denton’s Cardinals Conquer publication. To study the whole newsletter, click right here. And subscribe to get it frequently in your inbox.

It’s not specifically breaking information that the Albert Pujols playing for the Cardinals this year is vastly unique than the lean and suggest model who terrorized opposing pitchers for more than a ten years from 2001-11.

No, Pujols isn’t the identical feared hitter, not virtually the ice-cold killer who seemingly constantly arrived through in the clutch or the Device-like technician at the plate as he when was. Father Time and injuries have mercilessly stolen a whole lot of that jaw-dropping hand-eye coordination, the means to sq. up pretty much any pitcher and a clutch gene seldom at any time viewed — even though individuals traits even now emerge from time to time as Pujols continues a gradual and constant demand towards 700 household operates.

This present-working day model of Pujols, nevertheless, has some exceptionally endearing characteristics that weren’t often so commonplace throughout his initially historic move by St. Louis. His pierced-eye glare — one that so generally intimidated pitchers — has been replaced by a toothy smile and a booming chuckle. A laser concentrate that once in a while deterred other individuals from absolutely finding to know him has specified way to him now handing out hugs far more typically than a proud grandparent. And whereas in the earlier he was so singularly intent on being constantly terrific each working day, Pujols is now rapid to supply information to a youngster these as rookie Juan Yepez or to counsel a reliever who operates afoul of baseball’s unwritten rules as he did with 25-yr-outdated lefty Genesis Cabrera last 7 days.

Now in the autumn of a 22-calendar year career that will ultimately take him to Cooperstown, N.Y., Pujols is trying to squeeze every single little bit of enjoyment and pleasure out of his closing yr even though also nevertheless contributing for the Cardinals. Although he can be witnessed smiling heaps more and frequently witnessed with an arm around a teammate, Pujols tends to make no apologies for the human being he was whilst he was profitable three NL MVPs and two Entire world Collection titles in the 2000s. Becoming a human giggle box like David Ortiz or oozing the kid-like enthusiasm of a Ken Griffey Jr. would have been…