June 23, 2016 – The Bleacher Creature

Barry Bonds was a hitter of the century. He evolved from a skinny all around phenomenon to a muscular home run beast. This article hosts information about the all-time home run leader.

Barry Bonds was born July 24, 1964. He was the son of former Major Leaguer, Bobby Bonds. A young Barry spent a lot of time around players and in the clubhouse. This early mentoring helped Bonds gain success later in his life. Barry made his Major League debut in 1986 with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the age of 22. Bond hit 16 home runs and stole 36 bases. Bonds would play six more seasons with the Pirates. In that span, Barry smacked 142 home runs and swiped 212 bases. Bonds would also win three Gold Gloves, three Silver Sluggers, and two National League Most Valuable Players awards.

Barry Bonds real success came with the San Fransisco Giants. When he joined the club in 1993, they had an idea about what he would bring. But Barry brought more. The next decade saw sluggfests and intentional walks-o-rama. In his first year with the club, Barry crushed a career high 46 home runs while stealing 29 bases. He would have similar years with 30+ home runs until 2000. At the turn of the century, Barry surpassed his original career high in home runs set in 1993. Barry hit 49 home runs in 2000. 2001 was one of the most memorable seasons in the history Major League Baseball. 2001 was a season all players dream of having. Bonds hit a record 73 home runs while posting an astronomical .863 slugging percentage. He accommodated these statistics by also posting a .328 batting average with 137 runs batted in and 129 runs. Barry never quite reached his standards after that season. Sure, he walked a record 232 times in 2004 and a .370 batting average in 2004. But Bonds has been linked to steroid use and that eliminated his chance for the Hall of Fame. People say that his statistics shouldn’t count, but they are still etched in stone. Barry Bonds finished his career with 2,935 hits, 2,558 walks, 601 doubles, 514 stolen bases, eight Gold Gloves, 12 Silver Sluggers, and a Major League record in MVP awards (7) and home runs 762. In conclusion, Barry Bonds has posted some of the greatest numbers in Major League history.

Clayton Kershaw is one of the most dominant pitchers of his era. If he is not leading in one pitching category, then he is leading another. We will now break down the legacy of Clayton Edward Kershaw.

Clayton Kershaw is a star pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1988. Clayton was drafted by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2006 first year player draft. He wears number 22 and stands at an intimidating 6 foot 3 inches and weighing in at 225 pounds. Kershaw has piled up tons of awards and accomplishments in his career. In 2010, Kershaw began giving signs that he was going to be something special. In 204.1 innings, he was able to strike out 212 batters and post a 2.91 earned run average. 2011 was the start of the Kershaw dynasty. In 2011, Clayton Kershaw picked up his first Cy Young award. In 233.1 innings of work, Kershaw struck out a league leading 248 hitters and tied the league lead for wins with 21. He also posted an amazing 2.28 ERA. He carried his success into the 2012 season. 2012 saw Kershaw strike out 229 and a 2.53 ERA. 2013 and 2014 were Kershaw’s best seasons. He won the Cy Young award in both seasons. In 2013, he posted a 1.83 ERA and in 2014, he posted a league leading 1.77. In 2014, Kershaw won the National League Most Valuable Player award because he won 21 games, pitched a no-hitter, and struck out 239 batters in 198.1 innings of work. In 2015, Kershaw’s bar was set extremely high. He had to fight for his fame due to the dominance of Jake Arrieta and teammate Zack Greinke. Kershaw did just that. He struck out 301 batters in 232.2 while posting a 2.13 ERA. He finished third in the Cy Young voting.

In Kershaw short career, he has been awarded a multitude of honors. From 2011 to 2014, he led the league in ERA. He has won three Cy Young awards, been on the All Star team from 2011-2015, won the Gold Glove award in 2011, and was declared the National Most Valuable Player in 2014. As one can see, Clayton Kershaw is one of the best players in Major League Baseball.