Official Barry Watch: 749

I figure we can get some of the Barry posts off the running MLB thread by giving everybody's favorite flaxseed oil connoisseur his own thread.

Say what you will about Barry (and I'm not a fan), but his numbers are quite remarkable. Let's discuss them here.

I'll start by bringing up some random stuff.

1. Until No. 748 on Sunday, June 17, Barry had never homered at Fenway Park or in any other regular-season game against Boston. I've edited this several times now after mis-reporting things three different times. So don't quote me or run my figures without double-checking them. Hopefully, that goes without saying. In any case, Bonds has homered in 36 different parks, and the only current parks that haven't received a Bonds bomb in a regular-season game are Comerica Park, the Metrodome and Tropicana Field. He has seven official ABs in Tampa, but he's never played a regular-season game in Detroit or Minnesota. Perhaps he'll sign with the Tigers after the season.

2. Barry has batted only .244 in 739 ABs against the Cubs. That's by far the worst he's done against National League teams. But he has gone deep 42 times against the Cubbies.

3. These pitch count figures are a little confusing, so I could be reading them wrong. Barry's career average on a 2-2 count is .230 and his career average on a 3-2 count is .238. But good luck getting there. When he makes contact with the first pitch, he's hit .354, and 125 of his dingers have come on the first pitch.

4. 429 of his longballs have been solo shots.

5. Barry is a career .350 hitter with a man on third base, and he has batted .448 with a man on third and less than two outs.

6. Barry has 9 ABs in the 8-hole and 18 ABs in the 2-hole, but he's never homered in either spot. However, he does have three dingers from the 9-hole, presumably from inter-league games, and at least one from every other spot in the lineup.

7. Bonds has four homers as a pinch-hitter. But he only batted .203 in 69 ABs as a pinch-hitter.

For lots more, visit http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/bonds/

They're doing a fair job of dedicating a special portal to Barry.

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

The statistics that can be found on baseball players continue to astound me. I'm saving this post for future cutline information . . .

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

Before today.

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

Oh sheesh! You're right. I must go back and amend that. Wow. That leaves just Tropicana Field. By the way, there are a few other stadiums that haven't seen one of his shots, but those aren't in use today. For example, the Kingdome.

 

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I thought all his ABs came from the A-hole, myself.

 

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He's an evil person, a cheating cocksucker that needs to take a fastball in the fucking knee.

 

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Even from when he was on the Pirates, I just didn't like Bonds. He always just came off as an arrogant prick to me. Obviously, as he bulked up and because more of an ass, at least when it came to the media exposure.

But I heard from a long-time Pittsburgh writer that Bonds is one of the best interviews he's had, in part because of the way the writer treats him. The writer calls Bonds names and tells him "he can do better than that" -- albeit in a joking manner. But the dude claims to this day that Bonds won't be topped. You just have to know how to talk to him.

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

It's official: I have watched all the Barry I care to watch...

 

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And for some reason, I googled "official barry watch" and this came up.

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

For what it's worth, I have never cared much for power hitters. Perhaps that's because I grew up in the latter years of the Dave Kingman era.

Back in 1984, when I was 11, Wade Boggs caught my fancy. I think Boggs and Tony Gwynn are the best hitters ever to play the game. I also enjoyed watching George Brett, Rod Carew and Pete Rose bat.

If you believe the basic premises outlined in Moneyball, the key offensive stat is OBP. But that's been somewhat trivialized by the intentional walk, which makes Bonds one of the best in that category as well.

Boggs had a lifetime .415 OBP, and he wasn't the kind of guy who was walked intentionally. .415, by the way, is 25th all time.

Speaking of OBP, I still think Rickey Henderson's strange personality has harmed the reality of just how great he was. He had a .401 OBP despite being a guy pitchers never wanted on the bases.

Of course, the OBPS is more popular today. Using that, I guess Bonds gets even more praise.

 

Re: Official Barry Watch

I really wonder how good he'd be without all the armor on his right arm. Without it, you think he'd take away the whole right side of the plate?

 

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I wouldn't be opposed to MLB creating rules about the amount of padding a player puts on. It would keep most everyone honest and give the pitchers a better chance.