Barry Bonds has some advice for Washington Nationals superstar Bryce Harper about how to deal with all those walks: steal more bases.
In the ongoing battle to contain baseball’s most dangerous offensive weapon, opposing pitchers seem to have settled on a new strategy. They’ve decided to just put him on first base. At no point was this more apparent than on May 8 against the Chicago Cubs, when Bryce Harper walked a staggering six times and finished the day without recording an official at bat. Three of those free passes were intentional.
The 23-year-old right fielder currently leads Major League Baseball with 41 walks, and it’s hard to imagine his position on the leaderboard changing anytime soon. 11 of those walks were of the intentional variety, also the league’s highest total. His current walk rate sits at 19 percent, just under last season’s mark of 20 percent.
Harper’s .456 OBP and 1.066 OPS are also tops among big leaguers, fueled by the avalanche of walks.
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While it might seem like a cop out to frustrated fans who just want to see Harper mash, it’s difficult to fault pitchers for being exceedingly careful whenever the reigning NL MVP strolls up to the plate. While his .265 average is lagging well behind last year’s .330 at the moment, he’s still largely getting it done with the bat. Harper has clubbed 11 homers, tied for fifth in MLB, and driven in 29 runs, good for ninth.
If there is anyone who understands exactly what Harper is going through, it’s Miami Marlins hitting coach Barry Bonds. The seven-time MVP is the all-time walks leader with 2,558 career free passes. While the specter of steroid use will always loom over Bonds’ accomplishments, his numbers from the late 1990s and early 2000s are nothing short of astounding.
As Bonds launched home runs at a truly unprecedented rate, pitchers intentionally walked the San Francisco Giants slugger more and more in an attempt to minimize the damage. He was even famously walked with the bases loaded. Better one run than four, right?
From 2001 to 2004, Bonds led both leagues in walks, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS. He averaged 189 free passes along with a .559 OBP, .809 SLG and 1.368 OPS per season over that span. He peaked in 2004 with an eye-popping 232 walks and .609 OBP. To put it bluntly, those are video game numbers. So it’s hard to blame opposing teams for treating him with kid gloves.
However, Bonds knows a thing or two about stealing bases as well. He was a legitimate speedster earlier in his career, which is certainly not how many fans remember him. He finished with 514 steals, making him the only player in history to belt at least 500 home runs and swipe 500 bags.
Bonds believes Harper should work on making speed a more prominent element of his game. “He’s going to need to learn to steal bases and get to second base and make his teammates’ job easier,” he said.
While Harper has never stolen more than 18 bases in a season during his five-year career, it was his all-around athleticism made him one of the most hyped prospects in a generation. Though he typically hasn’t needed to show off his wheels in the past, he is fully capable of turning on the jets when necessary:
Harper probably won’t suddenly turn into a bona fide base-stealer, but he would be wise to consider Bonds’ recommendation. At the very least, swiping a few bases after those intentional walks will give opposing pitchers something new to think about. They might reconsider handing him a free pass if they know it could instantly lead to him getting into scoring position.
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Baseball is a game of constant adjustments, and it might be Harper’s turn to adapt. Do you think he should be looking to steal more? Let us know in the comment section below.