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	Graphical Presentation of Batting Statistics for Major League Baseball Players and Teams Historic and Current Stats

  Barry Bonds 2004 Batting Performance

P. Adel, November 2004

Consider the 232 walks Bonds got this season.  His overall production of 45 hr was in the top 5, 303 total bases in the top 20, 101 rbi top 20 in the top 20, while the other players in these top categories had 30% to 60% more at bats because they had fewer walks (only one player in the majors reached half that many for the year).

Assuming for a moment that those 232 walks had been "regular" at-bats (resulting in a hit or an out), multiplying those plate appearances by his batting average, he would have had an additional 84 hits on the season (for a total of 219), assuming he hit with the same average as in his regular at bats.

Eight more hits than Ken Griffey Jr had for the entire season.  Nine more than Ruben Sierra.

Those 84 hits would have produced 188 total bases based on his slugging average.  More than Luis Gonzalez or JT Snow had for the entire season.  Ten more than Boston's Bill Mueller.

This is the potential offensive production of just his season total walks.

The average total bases value of walks (bb x slugging average) for the upper half of all batters in both leagues (300 or more at bats, OR > 0.7) is about 27 total bases.  The equivalent of about 7 more home runs or 9 more triples, 14 more doubles or 27 more singles.

The total bases value Bonds' 232 walks is the equivalent of 188 more singles, or 47 more home runs.

The average player in the upper half group hit one home run for every 25 at bats.  At that rate, Bonds would have had an additional 9 home runs on the season.  However, Bonds hit a home run for each 8 at bats, giving him an additional 29 home runs on the season in exchange for all of his walks.  Assuming Bonds had an "average" year with 100 walks, converting the remaining 132 walks to at bats, he would have had another 16 home runs (for a season total of 61). At his season pace of 10 RBI for every 37 at bats, converting the extra 132 walks to at bats would have given him an additional 36 RBI for a season total of 137.  Since he led the league in batting average, this would have given him the National League Triple Crown for the season, which would have been the first Triple Crown since 1967, and the first in the National League since 1937.

Opposing teams took the bat out of his hands with the free passes, but they didn't prevent him from receiving the League MVP, his fourth in a row (and seventh in all).

The 2004 Season National League Player Standings Chart with Bonds Extension shows Bond's performance in relation to the rest of the National League for the 2004 season.

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