MVP Profile: Barry Bonds, 2004

Outfielder, San Francisco Giants

Age:  40 (July 24)

12^th season with Giants

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’1”    Weight: 185 

Prior to 2004:

The son of major league outfielder Bobby Bonds was born in Riverside, California and hit .476 with 14 home runs as a senior at Junipero Serra High School where he also played football and basketball. Initially he was drafted as an amateur by the Giants in 1982 but rejected a $70,000 offer and instead attended Arizona State where he was criticized for being a rule-breaker with a poor attitude as well as lauded for outstanding all-around ability. Bonds was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 1985 amateur draft. He batted .299 with 13 home runs for Prince William of the Carolina League in ’85, moved up to Hawaii in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in 1986 but was called up to the Pirates after 44 games. He was inserted in center field and batted only.223 but showed flashes of future greatness with 16 home runs, 36 stolen bases, and 48 RBIs in 113 games. Bonds was shifted to left field in 1987 and improved to 25 home runs, 32 stolen bases, 59 RBIs, and a .261 batting average. The numbers continued to rise over the next two seasons until he broke through with an MVP year in 1990 as Pittsburgh won the NL East. Bonds batted .301 with 33 home runs, 52 stolen bases, and a .301 batting average to go with his league-leading .565 slugging percentage. He was also selected to his first All-Star Game and received a Gold Glove for his play in left field. He finished second in NL MVP voting in 1991 following a season in which he batted .292 with 25 home runs, 43 stolen bases, and 116 RBIs. Pittsburgh again topped the NL East and fell in the NLCS while Bonds hit only .148. It was a similar situation in 1992 as Bonds batted .311 with 34 home runs, 39 stolen bases, and 103 RBIs in his final year with the Pirates. The club won a third straight NL East title and lost once more in the NLCS. In three NLCS appearances with the Pirates, Bonds hit only .191 in 20 games with one home run. Having garnered his second NL MVP award in three years he left the Pirates as a free agent and signed a six-year, $43 million contract with the Giants. Bonds won his third MVP award in 1993 as the Giants contended and he led the NL with 46 home runs, 123 RBIs, a .458 on-base percentage, .677 slugging percentage, and 365 total bases to go along with a .336 batting average and 29 stolen bases. He continued to be a strong performer, gaining seven consecutive All-Star selections from 1992 through ’98 and six Gold Gloves during the same time span. The Giants reached the postseason only once during that period. Bonds became the second player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season in 1996 and regularly led the NL in walks and intentional walks. Following a 1998 season in which the home run race between Mark McGwire of St. Louis and Sammy Sosa of the Cubs drew headlines, Bonds (who homered 37 times that year) apparently turned to steroid use to improve his already impressive power-hitting. Initially this was problematic in that his 1999 season was limited to 102 games due to a torn triceps that required surgery. He came back with a 49-home run season in 2000 and broke McGwire’s single-season record of 70 with 73 homers in 2001. In addition, in 2001, he batted .328 and led the NL in OBP (.515), slugging (.863), and walks drawn (177) and was voted Most Valuable Player for an unprecedented fourth time. In the offseason, Bonds was signed to a five-year $90 million deal by the Giants despite being 37 years old. Bonds, who received his fifth MVP award, batted a league-leading .370 in 2002 and also led the NL in walks drawn (198), OBP (.582), and slugging percentage (.799), while also hitting 46 home runs and compiling 110 RBIs. The Giants reached the postseason and he finally got to play in a World Series and hit .471 with four home runs in a losing cause against the Angels. Bonds made it six MVP awards in 2003 while batting .341 with 45 home runs and 90 RBIs while topping the NL with 148 walks drawn, a .529 OBP, and a .749 slugging percentage.

2004 Season Summary

Appeared in 147 games

LF – 133, PH – 8, DH – 7

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 617

At Bats – 373

Runs – 129 [2]

Hits – 135

Doubles – 27

Triples – 3

Home Runs – 45 [4]

RBI – 101 [17]

Bases on Balls – 232 [1] (MLB record)

Int. BB – 120 [1] (MLB record)

Strikeouts – 41

Stolen Bases – 6

Caught Stealing – 1

Average - .362 [1]

OBP - .609 [1] (MLB record)

Slugging Pct. - .812 [1]

Total Bases – 303 [16]

GDP – 5

Hit by Pitches – 9 [19, tied with eight others]

Sac Hits – 0

Sac Flies – 3 

League-leading bases on balls drawn were +105 ahead of runners-up Lance Berkman, Bobby Abreu & Todd Helton

League-leading int. bases on balls drawn were +94 ahead of runner-up Jim Thome

League-leading batting average was +.015 ahead of runner-up Todd Helton

League-leading OBP was +.140 ahead of runner-up Todd Helton

League-leading slugging pct was +.155 ahead of runner-up Albert Pujols

Midseason snapshot: HR – 23, RBI - 48, AVG - .365, SLG – .794, OBP – .628

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 4 AB) vs. LA Dodgers 4/18, (in 4 AB) vs. NY Mets 8/21 – 12 innings, (in 5 AB) at Atlanta 8/29

Longest hitting streak – 9 games

HR at home – 26

HR on road – 19

Most home runs, game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. LA Dodgers 4/18, (in 3 AB) vs. Cincinnati 8/3, (in 4 AB) vs. Montreal 8/17, (in 5 AB) at Atlanta 8/29

Multi-HR games – 4

Most RBIs, game – 6 at Atlanta 8/29

Pinch-hitting – 0 for 2 (.000) with 2 R & 6 BB

Fielding

Chances - 229

Put Outs – 214

Assists – 11

Errors – 4

DP – 0

Pct. - .983 

Awards & Honors:

NL MVP: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

NL Hank Aaron Award: MLB

Silver Slugger

All-Star (started for NL in LF)

Top 5 in NL MVP Voting:

Barry Bonds, SF: 407 points - 24 of 32 first place votes, 91% share

Adrian Beltre, LAD: 311 points – 6 first place votes, 69% share

Albert Pujols, StL: 247 points – 1 first place vote, 55% share

Scott Rolen, StL: 226 points – 1 first place vote, 50% share

Jim Edmonds, StL.:160 points – 36% share

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Giants went 91-71 to finish second in the NL Western Division, 2 games behind the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers while leading the league in bases on balls drawn (705) & OBP (.357). Off to a 10-14 April record, the Giants surged into contention in May and June, and were atop the NL West from June 22 to July 5. Falling 8.5 games back on August 11, a 16-9 September had the club back in contention, but they finished up behind the Dodgers in the division and a game behind Houston in the wild card race.

Aftermath of 2004:

The 2004 MVP award was the last of a total of seven NL MVP awards for Bonds. His career, which became plagued by injuries in its late stages finally came to an end in 2007. Overall, Bonds hit a major league record 762 home runs, 586 of which were compiled as a member of the Giants. He stole 514 bases, 263 with San Francisco, and knocked in 1996 runs, 1440 as a Giant, and batted .298, .312 with San Francisco. He walked 2558 times, 688 intentionally, which are all-time major league records. A 14-time All-Star, the lingering suspicions regarding performance enhancing drugs have thus far kept him from election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

MVP Profiles feature players in the National or American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award (1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present) as Most Valuable Player. 

Cy Young Profile: Roger Clemens, 2004

Pitcher, Houston Astros

Age:  42 (Aug. 4)

1^st season with Astros

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 205

Prior to 2004:

A native of Ohio who moved to Texas in high school, Clemens attended San Jacinto Junior College, which had a strong baseball program, before moving on to the University of Texas, passing up a contract offer from the New York Mets, who drafted him as an amateur in 1981. He was a power-pitching member of the Texas squad that won the 1983 College World Series before signing with the Red Sox, who made him a first round draft pick that year. The highly driven Clemens climbed readily through Boston’s minor league system and joined the parent club in 1984. Somewhat unsteady as a rookie, Clemens compiled a 9-4 record with a 4.32 ERA and was shut down in September due to a tendon injury in his pitching arm. Several injuries marred his 1985 season that concluded with surgery on his right shoulder after posting a 7-5 record with 3.29 ERA in just 15 starts. “The Rocket” broke out with a dominating season in 1986 as he compiled a 24-4 record with an AL-leading 2.48 ERA. His 238 strikeouts included a single-game record 20 against Seattle. Clemens was the league MVP as well as Cy Young Award recipient. He spent ten more seasons with the Red Sox, often highlighted by controversy. He briefly walked out during spring training in 1987 over a contract dispute and overcame a slow 4-6 start to end up with another Cy Young Award-winning season, ultimately posting a 20-9 record with the fifth place Red Sox. In 1988 he returned to the All-Star Game and compiled an 18-12 tally and topped the AL in complete games (18) and shutouts (7). Boston returned to the top of the AL East. Clemens led the AL in ERA for three straight years from 1990 to ’92 and won a third Cy Young Award in 1991. His performance slipped thereafter as his record dropped to 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA in 1993, and after a fair year in 1994, he slipped badly again in ’95. Clemens had another 20-strikeout single-game performance in 1996 on his way to a 10-13 record with a league-leading 257 strikeouts. “The Rocket” signed a three-year free agent contract worth $24.75 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and won the AL Cy Young Award that year with a fifth-place team that went 76-86 and again in 1998, when he was 20-6 and topped the circuit in ERA (2.65) and strikeouts (271). The Blue Jays rose to third at 88-74 and Clemens requested a trade to a contending team and was dealt to the New York Yankees just prior to the ’99 season. Clemens spent five years with the Yanks, who won three AL pennants and two World Series titles during that time. “The Rocket” won another Cy Young Award in 2001 and compiled 77 wins in all during that period. Hinting at retirement in 2003, he followed LHP Andy Pettitte, a teammate and friend with the Yankees, to the Houston Astros as a free agent in 2004.

2004 Season Summary

Appeared in 33 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 33

Games Started – 33 [13, tied with seven others]

Complete Games – 0

Wins – 18 [2, tied with Jason Schmidt & Carl Pavano]

Losses – 4

PCT - .818 [1]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 0

Innings Pitched – 214.1 [8]

Hits – 169

Runs – 76

Earned Runs – 71

Home Runs – 15

Bases on Balls – 79 [11, tied with Doug Davis]

Strikeouts – 218 [5]

ERA – 2.98 [5, tied with Oliver Perez]

Hit Batters – 6

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 5

League-leading win percentage was +.068 ahead of runner-up Chris Carpenter

Most strikeouts, game – 12 (in 7.1 IP) at Milwaukee 9/24

10+ strikeout games – 4

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 7 IP) vs. San Francisco 4/7

Batting

PA – 78, AB – 72, R – 1, H – 12, 2B – 1, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 7, BB – 3, SO – 24, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .167, GDP – 2, HBP – 0, SH – 3, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 36

Put Outs – 12

Assists – 24

Errors – 0

DP – 2

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Pitching: G – 4 (NLDS vs. Atlanta - 2 G, NLCS vs. St. Louis - 2 G)

GS – 4, CG – 0, Record – 2-1, PCT – .667 SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 25, H – 22, R – 11, ER – 10, HR – 4, BB – 10, SO – 21, ERA – 3.60, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 4

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

All-Star (Starting P for NL)

8^th in NL MVP voting (61 points, 14% share)

NL Cy Young voting (Top 5):

Roger Clemens, Hou.: 140 pts. – 23 of 32 first place votes, 88% share

Randy Johnson, Ariz.: 97 pts. – 8 first place votes, 61% share

Roy Oswalt, Hou.: 19 pts. – 1 first place vote, 12% share

Jason Schmidt, SF.: 13 pts. – 8% share

Carlos Zambrano, ChiC.: 8 pts. – 5% share

Astros went 92-70 to finish second in the NL Central Division, 13 games behind the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals and qualifying for a Wild Card playoff spot. Despite high expectations, the team was at 44-44 and in fifth place at the All-Star break when manager Jimy Williams was replaced by Phil Garner. The arrival of CF Carlos Beltran from the Royals in June helped the offensive production and the Astros finished strong to clinch a playoff spot on the season’s last day. Won NLDS over the Atlanta Braves, 3 games to 2. Lost NLCS to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 3.

Aftermath of 2004:

At age 43 in 2005, Clemens led the NL with a 1.87 ERA as the Astros won the league pennant for the first time in franchise history. Clemens re-signed with Houston in ’06 and ended up with a 7-6 record and 2.30 ERA while the club failed to reach the postseason. Clemens returned to the Yankees for one final year in 2007. Clemens returned to organized baseball in 2012 at the age of 50, appearing with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. He started two games and had no decisions.  Overall in the major leagues, he had a 354-184 record and 3.12 ERA with 4672 strikeouts over the course of 4916.2 innings. In the postseason he was 12-8 with a 3.75 ERA and 173 strikeouts. His numbers with Houston alone were 38-18 with a 2.40 ERA and 505 strikeouts. Controversy erupted over his alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs during the later stages of his career, thus far keeping him from achieving election to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.  

Rookie of the Year: Jason Bay, 2004

Outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates

Age:  26 (Sept. 20)

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 210

Prior to 2004:

A member of the Little League team from his hometown of Trail, British Columbia that represented Canada in the 1990 Little League World Series Bay went on to play American Legion baseball in a nearby Idaho town. In college he went first to North Idaho Community College and then Gonzaga University. He performed well there, winning the West Coast Conference batting title as a senior with a .388 average. Bay was chosen by the Montreal Expos in the 2000 amateur draft and hit .304 with Vermont of the short-season New York-Pennsylvania League that summer. He spent 2001 in the Florida State and Midwest Leagues and batted a combined .315 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs, and 25 stolen bases. The Expos traded Bay to the New York Mets in 2002 and he performed well in the Florida State and Eastern Leagues before being dealt again, this time to San Diego, who assigned him to Mobile of the Class AA Southern League. Overall with three minor league clubs in 2002, he hit .283 with 17 home runs, 85 RBIs, and stole 39 bases. Bay got off to a strong start with Class AAA Portland in 2003 and was promoted to the Padres in May. He appeared in three games until suffering a broken wrist. In August he was traded to the Pirates along with LHP Oliver Perez for OF Brian Giles. In 105 games for Pittsburgh in ’03 he hit .299 with 16 home runs and 70 RBIs, assuring himself of a spot in the outfield for 2004, although he had to miss the season’s first month due to a shoulder injury.  

2004 Season Summary

Appeared in 120 games

LF – 117, CF – 5, PH – 6

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Batting

Plate Appearances – 472

At Bats – 411

Runs – 61

Hits – 116

Doubles – 24

Triples – 4

Home Runs – 26

RBI – 82

Bases on Balls – 41

Int. BB – 2

Strikeouts – 129 [14, tied with Richard Hidalgo]

Stolen Bases – 4

Caught Stealing – 6 [16, tied with eight others]

Average - .282 [Non-qualifying]

OBP - .358 [Non-qualifying]

Slugging Pct. - .550 [Non-qualifying]

Total Bases – 226

GDP – 9

Hit by Pitches – 10 [16, tied with Sean Casey & Lance Berkman]

Sac Hits – 5

Sac Flies – 5

Midseason snapshot: HR - 12, RBI – 39, AVG - .304, SLG - .642

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Most hits, game – 4 (in 5 AB) vs. Milwaukee 7/2, (in 5 AB) at Montreal 7/9, (in 6 AB) vs. San Francisco 8/11 – 11 innings, (in 4 AB) at St. Louis 8/22

Longest hitting streak – 5 games

Most HR, game – 2 (in 4 AB) vs. San Diego 5/20, (in 4 AB) vs. Seattle 6/18, (in 5 AB) at Montreal 7/9

HR at home – 15

HR on road – 11

Multi-HR games – 3

Grand Slams – 1

Most RBIs, game – 8 vs. Milwaukee 7/2

Pinch-hitting – 0 of 5 (.000) with 1 R

Fielding

Chances – 216

Put Outs – 211

Assists – 3

Errors – 2

DPs - 0

Pct. - .991

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

NL ROY Voting (Top 5):

Jason Bay, Pitt.: 146 pts. – 25 of 32 first place votes, 91% share

Khalil Greene, SD.: 108 pts. – 7 first place votes, 68% share

Akinori Otsuka, SD.: 23 pts. – 14% share

Aaron Miles, Col.: 6 pts. – 4% share

Matt Holliday, Col.: 3 pts. – 2% share

Pirates went 72-89 to finish fifth in the NL Central Division, 32.5 games behind the division-winning St. Louis Cardinals while leading the league in triples (39)  and fewest bases on balls drawn (415).

Aftermath of 2004:

Bay followed up with another strong performance in 2005, batting .306 with 32 home runs and 101 RBIs and garnering selection to the All-Star Game. Another big season in 2006 (35 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a .286 batting average) was followed by a 2007 campaign in which Bay suffered through a major slump and saw his numbers drop to 21 home runs, 84 RBIs, and a .247 average. Midway through the 2008 season he was traded to the Boston Red Sox and over the course of 49 games slugged 9 home runs with 37 RBIs and batted .293, helping his new team to reach the playoffs where he continued to perform with distinction. Bay had a fine year for the Red Sox in 2009, hitting .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs and returning to the All-Star Game. In the offseason he signed a four-year, $66 million free agent contract with the Mets. In his three injury-riddled seasons with the Mets Bay hit .234 with 26 home runs and 124 RBIs, which did not come close to meeting expectations. He was released by the Mets following the 2012 season and signed with the Seattle Mariners. He appeared in just 68 games in 2013 and underwhelmed with 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .204 batting average. He retired having produced 222 home runs, 240 doubles, 95 stolen bases, and a .266 batting average over the course of his major league career. 151 doubles, 139 home runs, 50 stolen bases, 452 RBIs, and a .281 batting average were compiled with Pittsburgh. He also represented the Pirates in two All-Star Games.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.