Five Hilariously Absurd Stats to Brighten Your Day
Barry. Freaking. Bonds.
I know what you are thinking: Barry Bonds doesn’t count. He is the biggest cheater in the history of sports. He is a liar, and and embarrassment to the integrity of the game and his statistics shouldn’t be included in this list.
But c’mon.
If you are a true baseball fan, you love Barry Bonds statistics. Whether or not you think he should be in the Hall of Fame, there is no denying that he was one of the most electrifying players to ever step on the diamond, and the whole baseball world held their breath time he stepped to the plate.
I mean, just look at this home run at Yankee Stadium (if haven’t already watched it a thousand times):
Asterisk or not, Bonds is the home run king. But beyond his power, the man hit for average, play the field, and steal bases. From 1990 until the day he retired in 2007, he was the most feared hitter in baseball history. And while his ridiculous 12.92 at bat per home run ratio speaks for itself, his career walk statistics truly show how fearsome of a presence he was at the plate.
In his 22-year career, Bonds was not only the all-time leader in walks (2,558), but also the leader in intentional walks (688) by an insurmountable margin. The second-place person on that list is Albert Pujols, with 311 IBBs.
To make matters even crazier, the Tampa Bay Rays completed their 22nd MLB season in 2019. To this point, their entire franchise has produced a total of 606 intentional walks. That means in the same number of MLB seasons, Barry Bonds drew more intentional walks than an entire franchise. That is absolutely ludicrous.
At the end of the day, I believe it is time for the mainstream to get over Bonds’ steroid scandal and appreciate his career for what it was. You can spend hours, or even days, admiring what Bonds did on the field. And in a time where MLB’s immediate future is uncertain, we all need our daily dose of Barry Bonds to satisfy our craving for baseball.