Where will Barry Bonds end up all-time?

[4xchampncountin]

Now that Barry Bonds has finally tied his godfather Willie Mays for 3rd on the all-time home run list, how far can he go up the chart? Will he pass...Mays, but not Ruth? Mays and Ruth, but not Aaron? All of them to become the leading home run hitter of all time?

I say he will break Aaron's record for several reasons, but let me hear your thoughts?

 

[EatMorePossum]

He'll break it and keep it warm for A-Rod.

 

[Lap3Forever]

Im not for sure, i went to a game a long time ago......i got a ball, but i was really little and was next to the filde well one of the players said throw it back......i did not know any better i was like 3 and dad could not get my hand fast enfuf so they got there ball back.....bastards.

so i have not cared about baseball since then.

 

[17_Fan]

He'll break it, but Bonds will never be as good as a hitter as Aaron was.

Aaron wasn't a home run hitter per say, he was a contact hitter & a great one at that. Most of Aaron's home runs were line shots, not the towering hits from 'over juiced' players like Bonds, McGuire & Sosa. Aaron was a lifetime .300 hitter in the era of the pitcher.

 

[EatMorePossum]

No question they play in different eras. I think the biggest explanation for all the huge HR numbers the past several seasons is the dilution of the pitching pool. People can argue steroids, training, juiced bats and balls, and shorter porches. All play a part as well. But no one will convince me that a third starter on a .500 team is half the pitcher now as opposed to a third starter on a .500 team 35 years ago, or 50 years ago.

These titanic sluggers we have now usually "start slow and finish strong". Maybe because by the 2/3 mark of the season, 80% of the arms they face are dead. Just a thought.

 

[DirtyMo1381529]

sure he can pass him, as long as he doenst get hurt, and in a few years he switches to the american league so he can DH. It would be nice to find out if he really is on steriods though.

 

[Dinoforthe3]

Ruth only had 714.

I think Barry can pass them both, but the game has definately changed. The player have a totally different attitude towards working out (and I am not even thinking in terms of steriods).

 

[Gollum]

I said that he would pass Mays and Ruth. But he will stay behind Aaron. If he stays healthy. Why did I say that no reason except everyone else was saying he would top Aaron. :lol:

 

[LeDoux22]

I say he will get 2nd.. i bet he getts hurts from moving too fast in the outfield.. probably be on the first and only play he tries his best to get to a ball.. he can hit homers, but he has no hustle and he doesn't go for anything but homeruns.. trust me, im a giants fan

 

[kat2220]

Well, Barry hit #661 so he just may do it.....

 

[17_Fan]

Originally posted by EatMorePossum@Apr 13 2004, 11:27 AM
No question they play in different eras. I think the biggest explanation for all the huge HR numbers the past several seasons is the dilution of the pitching pool. People can argue steroids, training, juiced bats and balls, and shorter porches. All play a part as well. But no one will convince me that a third starter on a .500 team is half the pitcher now as opposed to a third starter on a .500 team 35 years ago, or 50 years ago.

These titanic sluggers we have now usually "start slow and finish strong". Maybe because by the 2/3 mark of the season, 80% of the arms they face are dead. Just a thought.

I'm not sure of the exact number, but back in the 60's, the pitcher's mound was 6" to 10" higher...giving the pitcher a better advantage over the hitter. I also go along with the shorter porches theory, but I stay away from the the juiced ball theory.

The weaker pitching theory is a huge part of it. There are 8 more teams now then there was in 1968. Back then, you didn't really have closers & middle relievers & the starters averaged 20% more starts per year and 80% more complete games. I'm guessing at the %'s, but was the pitching better back then? Yes. You blew out your arm back then...you're career was over. Now you can come back with Tommy John surgery, even though you would have to be a junk baller instead of a hard baller.

But I do suscribe to the juiced hitter theory, not steriods, that's illegal in MLB, but creatin & ephendrine aren't, or weren't for quite a few years. Any hitter like Hank Aaron that was a lifetime .305 hitter...in today's game IMO he would be a lifetime .350 hitter and Hank would be pushing 900 HR's.

 

[17_Fan]

It's all in the wrists for a hitter. I don't recall Hank's swing since I was pretty young back then, but I use Paul Molitor as an example.

If Paul would have had an injury free career, I'm sure he would have beaten Pete Rose's all time hit record. He was one of the purest hitters ever to play the game. He never tried to over power the ball and hit it were it was pitched...and Paul's biggest asset was his quick wrists. He could turn the bat over faster than anyone in the game. He could wait on a pitch longer than most batters giving him a better opportunity to decide if it was a ball or a strike. Paul almost always put the ball in play. The guy was able to hit Nolan Ryan. The few players that could swing as quick as Paul were Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett and Tony Gwynn. I don't follow the game much anymore, so it would be hard for me to compare hitting styles of any of today's players.

 

[pbunch]

Where Pete Rose is.

 

[EatMorePossum]

Originally posted by 17_Fan@Apr 14 2004, 12:16 AM
The few players that could swing as quick as Paul were Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett and Tony Gwynn.

Add Rod Carew and George Brett to that list. Carew could hit a thimble with a toothpick.

 

[17_Fan]

Originally posted by EatMorePossum+Apr 14 2004, 06:27 AM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (EatMorePossum @ Apr 14 2004, 06:27 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin--17_Fan@Apr 14 2004, 12:16 AM
The few players that could swing as quick as Paul were Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett and Tony Gwynn.

Add Rod Carew and George Brett to that list. Carew could hit a thimble with a toothpick. [/b][/quote]
Rod Carew was my all time fav when I was a young lad.