Barry Bonds admits that Alex Rodriguez is the better player today because of their ages. "He's better than me now because he's younger than me. But, hell no," Barry said when asked if Alex ranks second, stating that Ken Griffey Jr. is second "...but he got hurt." Barry will not or cannot admit the truth. Alex Rodriguez is not only better than Barry is today; Alex Rodriguez has had a better career than Barry Bonds, and will be rated higher after both their careers have ended (notice it doesn't say when each "retires."). A basic comparison of their first thirteen seasons reveals that Rodriguez was superior. We will break it down to their first FOUR seasons, followed by their next NINE, since Barry didn't became a star until his fifth year.
The First Four Seasons
In Barry's first season, 1986, he appeared in 113 games. Alex made his major league debut in 1994 but appeared in only 17 games. In 1995, Alex appeared in only 48 games, which makes 1996 Alex's first full year. When comparing their career statistics, the results are extremely close. The data below show their batting averages for their first four seasons. We have combined Alex' first two partial seasons into one, and consider 1998 his fourth season. It changes nothing but provides a clearer picture for purposes of comparison.
Bonds' First Four Seasons
Batting Average of .256, Slugging Average of .458, with an average of 31 doubles, 6 triples, and 21 home runs a season.
Rodriguez' First Four Seasons
Batting Average of .313, Slugging Average of .543, with an average of 34 doubles, 3 triples, and 27 home runs a season.
Alex Rodriguez out hit Barry by a substantial margin. In virtually the same number of at bats, Alex had 116 more hits. When comparing each player's extra base hits and slugging averages during those seasons, Rodriguez wins.
Barry's First Great Season
Barry Bonds' first great season was 1990, when he hit .301 and had 33 home runs, a .406 on base average, and a .565 slugging average. Barry's performances from 1990-1998 are rarely questioned, although it was in 1998 that Barry's weight, which two years earlier had been 180 pounds, increased to 210 pounds .
The Next Nine Seasons
Since we considered 1998 Rodriguez' fourth full season, his career has now spanned 12 complete seasons plus two thirds of 2007. Since Barry's 1994 season ended after the games of August 12, we will count Alex's current 2007 statistics as a "full" season to equal Barry's abbreviated 1994. Let's examine those nine seasons.
Bonds hit .305. Alex hit .302.
Bonds slugged .600. Alex slugged .590.
Bonds had 279 doubles, 40 triples, and 327 home runs.
Rodriguez had 254 doubles, 15 triples, and 393 home runs.
Barry holds an edge in doubles and triples, but Alex hit 66 more home runs. Barry was clearly better in the nine seasons because of his huge advantage in on base average. Alex's was below .400 while Barry's LOWEST on base average was .406. After their first four seasons, Bonds was a greater offensive threat than Rodriguez, but examining their first thirteen seasons as an entity is revealing.
Combining Thirteen Seasons
Bonds batted .290. Alex batted .305. Barry slugged .556. Alex slugged .576.
Bonds hit 403 doubles, 63 triples, and 411 home runs.
Rodriguez hit 389 doubles, 26 triples, and 499 home runs.
Alex Leads
Rodriguez hit more home runs, had a higher batting average, and had a better slugging average over the thirteen seasons. Bonds was far superior with respect to walks and on base average. Both could steal bases. Barry's high is 52 steals in 1990, and he averaged 34 over his first thirteen years. Rodriguez' high is 46 and he averages about 22 a season.
You Decide
Bonds' fourteenth season was his worst since early in his career. He missed two months of the 1999 season due to a wrist injury and bone spurs, and also hurt his knee, but the now-familiar Barry made his first appearance in 2000. Each of us must evaluate his accomplishments. One problem is that we will never have all the necessary information. The second is that with athlete's and politicians, sins become clouded with time and achievements, no matter how they were attained, stand out.
References:
Costello, Brian. "Barry: A-Rod Not in My League." The New York Post. 28 July 2007.
Barry Bonds at Baseball Reference
Alex Rodriguez at Baseball Reference
