Albert Pujols vs Carlos Santana: Career Stats Comparison

Albert Pujols (2001–2022) and Carlos Santana (2010–present) — they broke in during the 2000s and the 2010s respectively, which makes the side-by-side worth doing carefully. Albert Pujols finished with 3,384 hits and 703 home runs; Carlos Santana finished with 1,880 hits and 335 home runs. Below is the full career table, PIV adjustment, peak seasons, and a verdict.

Albert Pujols

Hitter · 2001–2022
Games
3,080
Hits
3,384
Home Runs
703
RBI
2,218
Avg
.296
OPS
.918
View Albert Pujols's full profile →

Carlos Santana

Hitter · 2010–present
Games
2,204
Hits
1,880
Home Runs
335
RBI
1,136
Avg
.241
OPS
.777
View Carlos Santana's full profile →

Career Stats Side-by-Side

Every cell below is a career total or career rate for Albert Pujols and Carlos Santana. Cells highlighted in green mark the category leader. Counting stats reward longevity; the rate stats at the bottom are era-agnostic.

Statistic Albert Pujols Carlos Santana
Games 3,080 2,204
At-Bats 11,421 7,815
Runs 1,914 1,107
Hits 3,384 1,880
Doubles 686 404
Triples 16 17
Home Runs 703 335
RBI 2,218 1,136
Walks 1,373 1,330
Strikeouts 1,404 1,540
Stolen Bases 117 65
Batting Avg .296 .241
On-Base % .374 .352
Slugging % .544 .425
OPS .918 .777

PIV Comparison

By PIV (Player Impact Value), Albert Pujols outpaces Carlos Santana 58,591 to 15,027 — a gap driven primarily by per-season impact (2,547 vs 791 per year). PIV adjusts each season to league baselines, so it's the cleanest way to compare careers across eras.

Albert Pujols
58,591
Career PIV · 2,547 per season (23 seasons)
Carlos Santana
15,027
Career PIV · 791 per season (19 seasons)

How PIV is calculated →

Peak Seasons

The best single seasons each player produced, ranked by OPS among qualified workloads (300+ at-bats).

Albert Pujols — top 3 seasons by OPS

20081.114 OPS37 HR, 116 RBI, .357 avg
20031.106 OPS43 HR, 124 RBI, .359 avg
20061.102 OPS49 HR, 137 RBI, .331 avg

Carlos Santana — top 3 seasons by OPS

2019.911 OPS34 HR, 93 RBI, .281 avg
2016.865 OPS34 HR, 87 RBI, .259 avg
2013.832 OPS20 HR, 74 RBI, .268 avg

Verdict

On the head-to-head card, Albert Pujols leads in hits, home runs, RBI, and runs, while Carlos Santana owns no headline categories. That doesn't settle the era debate, but on the raw scoreboard the edge goes to Albert Pujols. PIV agrees: Albert Pujols grades out higher across their careers. Click through to each profile for the full season-by-season breakdown.

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