The Escogido Leones of the Dominican Professional Winter Baseball League (LIDOM) announced that legendary Major League Baseball slugger Albert Pujols will manage the team in the 2024-25 season, set to open in October.
"We are honoured to have someone of Pujols' status as our manager," said José Miguel Bonetti Du-Breil on behalf of the Leones board.
Dominican Pujols appeared in 16 games as a player for the Leones during the 2021-22 LIDOM season.
Pujols was born in Santo Domingo in 1980. He emigrated to the United States in 1996. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the 13th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.
In his first professional season, Pujols climbed to the Triple-A team. He made his MLB debut on 2 April 2001 before going on to earn Rookie of the Year honours.
Pujols played for the Cardinals through the 2011 season and went back for his final MLB season in 2022. He also played for the Los Angeles Angels (2012-2021) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (part of the 2021 season).
He appeared in 3,080 games, combining 3,384 hits (only 33 players have 3,000 or more hits in MLB history) and 703 home runs (he ranks fourth all-time after Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth). He helped the Cardinals win the 2006 and 2011 World Series.
Pujols was named the National League MVP three times (2005, 2008 and 2009), led the National League twice in home runs (2009, 2010) and was the 2003 batting champion. He appeared in 11 All-Star Games and won six Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Gloves.
The 44-year-old worked as a special assistant for the Los Angeles Angels and an analyst on MLB Network in 2023.
The Licey Tigres won the 2023-24 edition of the LIDOM. In 1922, the Leones won the first professional baseball championship in the Dominican Republic. They have celebrated 16 pennants since LIDOM opened in 1951, the last in the 2015-2016 season.
