"A lot of people said I could be a good player. I just wanted the opportunity to show it. I just let it happen."

"I don't care if I hit .270. If we win the World Series, I'm great, because that's what I want."

"I don't know why people say I'm not supposed to be doing what I'm doing. I'm just trying to do my job. I'm blessed, and I'm glad that I'm blessed."

"I don't play for records."

"I don't think there's anything out there I can be afraid of."

"I don't want to be compared with Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, any of those guys-talk to me about this year and what I can do this year to help my team out, and go to the World Series or make it to the playoffs."

"I don't want to be too stiff, because then my hands won't be as quick."

"If I need to help my team and play a different position for that game because somebody is hurt or they want to give a day off to somebody, I'll do it."

"I know I'm good when I'm hitting the ball the other way - that's Albert Pujols."

"I'm a really smart player. If you tell me something, I get it quickly. If there is something wrong with my hitting, tell me what's wrong and I'll pick it up right away. That's the best thing I have going for me, my ability to listen to a coach and fix what I'm doing wrong."

"I'm a teammate guy, so whatever I can do to help my team to win like I have the past two years, that's what I want to do. If it takes for me to play first base, third base, right field, I just want to win the game."

"I never take things for granted. I always look to help out me teammates, to win and be better."

"In my heart and mind, I know I can hit anybody. I'm always relaxed. It's hard to explain. It's like playing with my kids. It feels natural."

"I thought about it a lot (losing the 2002 NLCS). It's something you have to go home and wrap it up because if you keep thinking about it, you're going to take that to Spring Training and you're not going to be able to concentrate on your work."

"I trust that I can hit a fastball, that I can hit any pitch they throw to me."

"I try to spend as much time as possible with God and my family. That's more important than anything I'm doing in baseball."

"It's not what you did last year. It's what you're going to do this year. That's more important."

"It's pretty crazy, really, everything happening so quick. You just don't think about it while it's happening. It's just God blessing me with the gift of staying healthy."

"I want to be in the lineup every day. Playing anywhere is better than playing the bench."

"There is no pressure. I just concentrate and do the best I can. I try to do my best every day and help the team win any way I can."

"This game is really crazy. Nobody can understand it, and there a lot of things that happen that you can't control."

"This is a great city to play. Anywhere you go, you're going to have great fans, but not like you have here in St. Louis. I've only played in St. Louis, I haven't played anywhere else, but even when the other teams come here they tell us, 'Man I can't believe how nice the fans are here.'"

"To me playing third base and left field and moving all over the place, it doesn't bother me because I still have to grab that bat and hit no matter where I play."

"We've got the best fans in St. Louis. A lot of people want to come and play in St. Louis because of the way the fans treat us."

"What I lose today I can't make up tomorrow. I have to do it today."

"What motivates me more than money are God and my family."

"You know your talent. You know if you work hard, your hard work is going to pay off one day."

"(Albert) Pujols has no glaring weaknesses, and he doesn't chase many bad pitches. Last season people kept waiting for him to come back down to earth, but he never did and finished with outstanding numbers." - Tony Gwynn

"(Albert) Pujols is a new breed of player in that he is both versatile in the field and disciplined at the plate. He is athletic enough to play first base, third base or either corner outfield position. And in only his second season, Pujols is one of the game's best young hitters. Because his numbers are so good, he makes you forget that he is only twenty-two." - Tony Gwynn

"A lot of guys who can hit don't give a flip about defense. He's never satisfied." - Jason Isringhausen

"Before he's done we might be saying he's the best of them all." - Sparky Anderson

"He caught my eye last season as a rookie when, against the Padres, he hit a home run on a three-ball, no-strike pitch - to the opposite field. Now that was something." - Tony Gwynn

"He has a passion for the game, a love for the game. You can see it. You can sense it. He's got natural God-given ability. A natural baseball player. A warrior. The man is good at every little thing he does." - Mike Easler

"He has the best work habits I've ever seen out of a young kid. He takes nothing for granted." - Mitchell Page

"He is the whole package as far as a player. He commits to defense just like he does offense. He has natural talent. He's a young guy, very smart, very tough-minded." - Tony La Russa

"He knows what he wants to do with the ball. He knows what a pitcher is trying to do to him. He knows." - Hal McRae

"He's a freak. There's no awe in his eyes." - Fernando Vina

"He's focused in everything he does, from hitting to running down the line. He doesn't go through the motions." - Red Schoendienst

"He's so strong between the ears that nothing fazes him." - Tony La Russa

"He stands there like a man. They didn't teach him fear at home, where he grew up. It's not part of his bag." - Felipe Alou

"He's the top right-handed hitter in the game." - Stan Musial

"His approach is so mature at the plate. He doesn't get himself out." - Scott Rolen

"I believe he's been reincarnated, that he played before, in the twenties and thirties, and he's back to prove something." - Mark McGwire

"I've never seen anything like it. He's quick to the ball with his bat, he hits to all fields, he rarely goes out of the strike zone, and no situation seems to rattle him." - Lloyd McClendon

"I would put him right behind Barry Bonds. I think Barry's an incredible force and their club did qualify for the playoffs. Barry had a monster season for a winning team, so I would say that he's probably the most valuable guy. But I'd put Albert (Pujols) right behind Barry." - Tony LaRussa

"Left-hander, right-hander, soft thrower, power guy, fastballs away, fastballs in-he doesn't have any holes." - Tino Martinez

"Talk to him for ten minutes. He's an excellent human being - kind, gentle, caring. He's an amazing ballplayer who would never say he's amazing." - Deidre Pujols

"That's like freakin' Superman playing baseball. He's the best ever." - Ian Snell

"When that ball flew over our heads, I turned to Mike Mason, our bullpen coach, and said, 'That's why they pay that guy 100 million bucks.' "— Cardinals reliever Ray King, who was in the bullpen when Pujols belted his game-winning three-run homer against the Astros in Game Five of the 2005 NLCS

"You don't have to scout a guy like Albert (Pujols). He draws attention to himself. He has such inner confidence, without being cocky." - Jim Leyland