Is Barry Bonds the best baseball player ever?

Question

What do you think?

Answer 1

LOL, no...Willie Mays is the best all around player.

Answer 2

Barry is a great hitter, even though he used steriods it still takes great hand eye coordination to hit that many homeruns, but is he the greatest of all-time, not at all. Plus there is all the steriod allegations. He is not even the greatest player of his era. Willie Mays is probably the greatest defensive player of all time; unless you go by statistics then it is Andruw Jones who has the highest fielding percentage of any player with more than 8 golden gloves. Mickey Mantle may have been the greatest offensive player of all-time. He hit the longest homerun ever recorded by more than 100 feet. He only ended up with 536 home runs but, that was only because his career was cut short. I strongly believe that it would have been Ken Griffey Jr. He was the youngest player to reach 500 home runs and made absolutely jaw-dropping plays in centerfield, then throughout his last few seasons has been missing more than half the season due to injuries. He may still hit 650 home runs. The good thing about Griffey Jr. is that he didn't need any performance enhancing drugs to help him, and he was the greatest player of the 90's without a doubt. You also have to keep in mind of the young players coming up too. Albert Pujols is the only player to hit 30 home runs and every season he has ever played. A great first baseman too, when it is all said and done he may have as many as 800 home runs if he stays healthy and plays like he is for 20 more strong years. Then there is Alex Rodriguez, who was the youngest player to reach 400 home runs, and was an exceptional shortstop. He is in a slump right now, but all great players have one. Once he breaks out of that he will be a great third baseman and could also have a great shot at breaking the home run record. Also I can't forget Babe Ruth, overrated he may be, still one of the greats. He was an all-right pitcher and an average right fielder, but damn he could hit the ball. 714 home runs and a .324 lifetime average can't be ignored. There are other players too who could have strong arguments such as the current home run king Hank Aaron. The record holder of the 56 game hit streak Joe DiMaggio, and the player who on his very last career at bat belted a home run Ted Williams. Then this topic gets really hectic if you think the greatest player is a pitcher. You could make an argument for Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, Eddie Plank, Don Sutton, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Gaylord Perry, Phil Neikro, and Bob Gibson. Of course they are a lot more who should be recognized. So with all that this question is basically a paradox because it can never really be answered other than with opinions.

Answer 3

No way! I can think of several players that were better all-around players than Bonds. There is more to the game than hitting home runs and being walked a ton of times because there's nobody in the line-up to protect him.

Just off the top of my head, I would say that Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, Mel Ott, Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Hack Wilson, Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle were all better players. As for THE best ? I would say Ted Williams or Willie Mays.

As for Pujols and A-Rod: Today's pitching is so diluted - because of the total number of teams as compared with the past - their numbers can't help but be inflated.

If it weren't for the "juice", Bonds' numbers would be significantly lower and we wouldn't even be having this discussion.

Answer 4

If you take steroids out of the equation completely and pretend like he acheived these numbers cleanly, I would consider placing him in the Top 50 or so. So many other players now and in the past were much better all around ball players than he is. With steroids involved however, he drops to the bottom 50 right ahead of A-Rod and Jason Giambi.

Answer 5

I don't think about Barry Bonds at all unless someone mentions
him on ESPN or on here.
I don't even consider him a part of MLB.
He's just a joke to me!
If - by some miracle - it turns out that he never used steroids, I'll gladly eat my words, but I don't think I'll ever have to.

The absolute best was Babe Ruth !

Barry's not even worth the 5 points it cost you to ask this!
Sorry, man. : (

Answer 6

Best player ever = Babe Ruth. Not only did his hitting change the game of baseball, but he was also a successful pitcher. He helped teams win World Series' with both his pitching and then hitting

Answer 7

That's an impossible question. Barry is indeed one of the genuinly great hall of famers. Pete Rose was another hater victim. Haters are sooner or later caught in a spot like that hypocrite preacher with a hooker in the motel. What a disgusting creep he is. "...dear lord,forgive me;for I have sinned". All this B.S. while he wipes snot across his face and tries to look pitiful. Who could ever forget this super-star?

Answer 8

No way. Bonds is a steroid user. He was a great hitter and fielder before he chose to cheat, he became much sttonger and bigger on the juice. Bonds will always be remembered as a cheater.

Answer 9

Hell no. He's a cheater, a liar, a fraud, and all he thinks of is himself. He never was a team player and never will be. Babe Ruth blows him away, was a stellar pitcher, won A LOT of championships, and did about the polar opposite of taking steroids. Nothing but hot dogs, beer, cigars, and loose women. Hell of a role model, that Ruth!

Answer 10

babe ruth's career stats: look in awe

.342 AVG, 714 HR, 2217 RBI, .474 OBP, .690 SLG
94 W, .671 winning percentage, 2.28 ERA

bond's stats:
.299 AVG, 723 HR, 1902 RBI, .443 OBP, .607 SLG
0 W, 0 winning percentage, no ERA

ruth dominates bonds.. no contest (steroids or not)

Answer 11

No hes a cheater. But even if he put up the same numbers clean i would still give it to Ruth untill Bonds learns to pitch and hits more homers than some teams like Ruth did.