Albert Pujols has made baseball look easy during his brief time in the major leagues. 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.

	Albert Pujols Left field St. Louis Cardinals Profile
	2002 SEASON STATISTICS G HR RBI R AVG OPS 89 22 69 69 .295 .972

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 22.

As a right-handed hitter, he is sort of like Edgar Martinez, although I wouldn't put Pujols in Edgar's class yet. But the way Pujols attacks the ball is similar to what Martinez does. Unlike most young hitters, Pujols doesn't try to pull the ball; he hits it where it is pitched, doing exactly what he should do as a hitter.

I talked to Pujols at last year's All-Star Game in Seattle, and he said he doesn't try to do too much at the plate. That's a great philosophy to have for a hitter who can hit the ball the other way with authority. Most of the time, pitchers will attack a hitter on the outer third of the plate. If a hitter stays back and can hit the ball hard to the opposite field, hitting is not as tough. The problem is that not every hitter can do it. Most hitters want to go after the outside pitch and hook it.

Pujols' approach makes him a tough out for any pitcher. When they pitch him away, he will stay back and hit the ball to right field instead of trying to pull it. But when a pitcher feels he needs to come inside, Pujols can turn on the pitch, drop the bat head on the ball and hit it out of the park to left field. And Pujols doesn't hit big, majestic home runs; his are line drives.

Our pitchers last season tried everything against Pujols -- changing speeds, mixing up pitches. When we went inside, he busted us. And when we went outside, he busted us again. 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 -- .329, 37 homers and 130 RBI. Last year he had 21 home runs and 66 RBI at the All-Star break. This year? Again, 21 homers and 66 RBI at the break. Peaks and valleys are normal over a 162-game season, but Pujols deserves credit for his consistency. He is on pace to have the same numbers as last year.

Although he has played a lot of third base, Pujols is now playing left field because the Cardinals want to keep Placido Polanco in the lineup behind leadoff man Fernando Vina.

If Vina and Polanco can get on base, Pujols will be an even better hitter because he excels with runners in scoring position. With the bases empty, hitters tend to be more aggressive, trying to make something happen. With runners on base, however, Pujols settles in and tells himself to not do too much and to take what the pitcher gives him.

The test for Pujols will be time. He is still five to seven years away from his prime. If he continues the way he is playing, he could take on Alex Rodriguez's status -- as one of the game's best players at a young age.

Tony Gwynn, who will take over as the head baseball coach at San Diego State next year, is working as an analyst for ESPN.