Bonds' Joins 40-40 Club

On Sept. 26, 1996, San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds becomes just the second player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season, joining the 40-40 club.

Bonds joined only former Oakland Athletics slugger Jose Canseco who completed the feat for the first time in MLB history in 1988 with 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases.

Bonds would end the 1996 season with 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases, tying Canseco.

Since Bonds completed the feat in 1996, it has been achieved twice more. Former Seattle Mariners short stop Alex Rodriguez in 1998 with 42 home runs and 46 stolen bases and in 2006 by former Washington Nationals outfielder Alfonso Soriano with 46 home runs and 41 stolen bases.

Bonds would finish his career with 762 home runs, and is still the all-time leader in MLB history for most career home runs. Part of Bonds’ success came from the fact that he is the all-time leader with consecutive seasons of 30 or more home runs, in which he has 13, from 1992-2004.

Bonds also leads the MLB in home runs in a single season with 73, career walks with 2,558 and career intentional walks with 688.

Bonds was also a seven time National League MVP. His seven MVP Awards are four more than the next best player.

To put it in better perspective, Bonds who won four consecutive MVP Awards from 2001-2004, would be the leader in MVP Awards if he never won another outside of the span.

In the American League, former Martinez native and Yankee slugger, Joe DiMaggio earned three MVP Awards. As well, two of DiMaggio’s teammates also earned three MVP Awards, catcher Yogi Berra and outfielder Mickey Mantle. Current Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez also has three MVP’s. Former Philadelphia Athletics slugger Jimmy Foxx also won three MVP Awards during his career.

In the National League, St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial earned three MVP Awards in his career. Former Brooklyn Dodger Roy Campanella earned three MVP Awards. Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt and another former Cardinal, Albert Pujols also earned three MVP Awards.

On top of being on of the most decorated hitters of all time, Bonds was also an outstanding outfielder in his younger years as he racked up eight Gold Glove awards from 1990-1998. As of 2009, Bonds was the most awarded Left Fielder to win a Gold Glove Awards in the National League.

Barry is also tied with his father Bobby for the most seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases with five. Bonds would continue his terror on the base paths throughout his career and managed to become the only member of the 400 home run and 400 stolen base club. He would then further himself from the rest of baseball when he entered the 500-500 club in 2004 when he swiped his career stolen base 500.

Bonds’ was also just a season shy from joining the elusive 3,000 hit club as he finished his career with 2,935 hits.

Bonds would finish his 22-year career with 2,986 games played and 9,847 at-bats. He would accumulate a career .298 batting average, a .444 on-base percentage, a .607 slugging percentage for a 1.051 on-base plus slugging percentage. He totaled 2,935 hits, consisting of 1,495 singles, 601 doubles, 77 triples and 762 home runs. He would also total 2,227 runs scored with 1,996 RBIs, 515 stolen bases, 2,558 walks with 688 intentional walks, while striking out just 1,539 times.

Bonds would lead the league in walks and intentional walks 12 times over the course of his career with his highest single season totals coming in 2004 with 232 walks and 120 intentional walks. Bonds led the league in on-base percentage 10 times, with his highest single season percentage coming in 2004 with a .609 mark. Bonds would lead the league in slugging percentage seven times, with highest single season percentage coming in 2001 with a .863 mark. Bonds would lead the league in home runs twice with his highest single season total coming in 2001 with 73. Bonds also led the league in runs scored and RBIs once with his highest single season totals coming in 1992 and 1993 respectively, with 109 runs scored, and 123 RBIs, although neither of those were single season career highs, which he set in 2001 with 129 RBIs (he reached 129 RBIs four times over his career) and 137 runs scored.

Bonds’ stats indicate he should be a first ballot Hall of Famer into Cooperstown, however, with the steroid issues, the Mitchell Report incident and Balco perjury scandals it is unlikely that Bonds will be nominated into Cooperstown, although he was one of the bests to ever play the game.