It’s hard not to get lost in the media hype sometimes, so when we were led to believe Albert Pujols might have been challenged by Ryan Howard for the NL MVP, it was cause for concern.

Last March, ESPN touter Matt Berry (and some other fantasy gurus) scared the fantasy world from selecting Albert, at least not in the first round, based on some injury concerns they thought might be in the near future. They underestimated El Hombre’s fortitude and passion for playing the game, and treated him like any other player…a mistake I’m sure they now regret.

It’s tough enough in the fantasy world predicting what kind of numbers someone will put up, but knowing what’s inside a player should ease some concerns. None of us would ever draft J.D. Drew if we knew we couldn’t replace him when he decided his body wasn’t in performance mode, which for him seems to be quite often. And there’s a multitude of other injury-prone players, but King Albert is not one of them. He is one of those rare breed of players who will play through injuries, and still perform at a high level. Last year’s MVP season should put the entire media backlash to rest. The soon-to-be 29-year-old Gold Glove first baseman had 626 at-bats in ‘08, with a career high of 104 walks. That makes eight consecutive seasons reaching that number of at-bats, a very impressive start to a career that has Hall Of Fame written all over it!

I’m confused why the media does not embrace the best player, and why they don’t jump on the bandwagon and give him the credit he deserves. Why are they always looking for someone else to promote or win some award he has earned? As he enters his ninth year on a big league roster, he has proved he belongs in an elite class. He might be the best baseball player many of the media will ever see in their lifetime, so I wish they could enjoy the opportunity to watch him.

With his elbow problems now behind him, ‘09 could be his best year yet. The Cardinals are seeking a bat in the lineup to provide him better protection, and hopefully encourage more NL pitchers to challenge him more this season. If that happens, he can be the guy to lead your team to a fantasy baseball championship in ‘09. Learn the lesson from last year; do not get caught up in the media hype. Draft Albert with your number one pick, and he won’t disappoint you.