Barry Bonds has his share of critics, and many of them are rightfully justified in their opinions. But one of the most ridiculous complaint ever levied on the guy is that he "walks too much." Far too many mainstream guys perpetuate the myth that this is somehow a bad thing, most recently Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, answering a question his blog's mailbag about whether Bonds would be a good fit for the Blue Jays:Just what the Jays need. A guy that walks every time there are runners in scoring position, leaving it up to the other guys that have been failing with runners in scoring position. The Jays will not do that.It boggles my mind that anyone can think the addition of someone who gets on base in half of his plate appearance is somehow a detriment to the lineup, especially considering what he'll do to a pitch that is left in the strike zone. If the problem is "the heart of the order fails with runners in scoring position," the solution isn't "put fewer runners in scoring position."
In any case, with Bonds still looking for work, Albert Pujols has taken over as the guy who can't get a pitch to hit. He was paid the ultimate respect last night -- being walked with the bases loaded -- but later in the game let his urge to swing the bat cloud his strike-zone judgment. From the St. Louis P-D (via Baseball Musings):
After leading in the count 3-0 against Guillermo Mota, Pujols took a strike, then swung at two low pitches to strike out for only the seventh time this season. "I felt I didn't want to walk, and I took myself out of the strike zone to swing at that pitch," Pujols said. "The 3-0 pitch was a little low. But I tried to push too much. I should've taken my walk. It's something you learn. You press. It's the way the game goes."There's a reason great hitters don't swing at bad pitches, and it has something to do with the fact that they're bad pitches. Unless your name is Vladimir Guerrero, bad pitches are harder to hit, and even if a hitter makes contact, it's difficult to put it in play, let alone drive it with power.
Yes, a home run or even a seeing-eye single would sometimes be preferable to a walk, but it's the nature of the game: a guy can only work with what he's given to hit, and making the best of it by avoiding an out is always preferable to swinging and missing. This isn't basketball where a great player can single-handedly take over a game: even the best hitters have to rely on the rest of the lineup.
ADVERTISEMENT
_thumbnail.jpg "NASCAR Cowboy Hats")
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. The whole "guys who walk a lot clog the basepaths" mentality is truly insane. Do these writers know anything about the way baseball works? See, the players need to get on base to score these things called "runs". You heard of them? They are the number that is used to measure who wins the game. Walks get that runner on base. This isn't rocket science, people.
Posted at 6:59PM on Apr 23rd 2008 by johnnyt471
2. i think you should look at giambi, i agree that you cant walk too much, but the guy either walks (a hell of alot) or strikes out. the yanks would probably do alot better with almost any halfway decent player there for him because just like bonds he cant field throw or run the bases something his walks just dont make up of
Posted at 10:38PM on Apr 23rd 2008 by gary
3. I think that the writer has a good point. Bonds does get walked a lot and ya I agree that it is a good thing to get on base to win. The thing is though Bonds is not the quick player that he used to be. As a former baseball player I do know that it is important to wait for the right pitch. Personally I think he should just retire he brings alot of drama to a team and he needs to be happy with the record that he got.
Posted at 4:52PM on Apr 24th 2008 by lee