Barry Bonds has strong praise for Albert Pujols, who is hovering near the .400 batting mark and right now is a legitimate candidate for both the MVP and Triple Crown.

	Bonds

	Pujols

Bonds, however, said that Pujols still has plenty of work to do to become a complete player. He would not compare Pujols to himself. He did, however, compare the Cardinals slugger favorably to an old teammate of his -- Bobby Bonilla.

"He doesn't run," Bonds told the San Francisco Chronicle, referring to Pujols. "He has no position. He plays first base, third base. Pujols, to me, reminds me of Bobby Bonilla, but better. Bobby Bonilla played different positions, first base and right field. All the (great) players you're talking about had a position."

Bonds said that three seasons is not enough for Pujols to establish himself as an all-time player.

"Time determines a person's career," Bonds told the newspaper. "If Pujols plays for a long period of time, he definitely has a chance to do some wonderful things in this game of baseball because he has the ability. Time plays with all of us. He's no different from myself and we're no different from him. It's just time that dictates what happens.

"Who would have thought Vladimir Guerrero would have back problems right now. No one knows how serious that is. You never know," Bonds continued.

Guerrero is currently on the disabled list for the Montreal Expos.

Certainly, if Pujols maintains his lofty numbers, he will rank among the best players of all time. Earlier this season, ESPN.com columnist Rob Neyer said that Pujols' stats during his first three seasons compared favorably with a select group of players, including Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio and future inductee Cal Ripken.

Pujols connected for two more homers Sunday against the Royals. He is hitting .above .390 for the season.

"He's a big, strong dude and a nice guy, a really nice guy," Bonds said of Pujols. "He can play. He can hit."