By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
After compiling a revised top-20 for fantasy baseball through six weeks of the season, it became apparent just how undervalued Bonds was entering this season. Finishing with an ADP around 160, Bonds just barely fell out of my top-20 and would enter the mix soon thereafter. Do you realize his OPS is 1.273? He’s easily the best hitter in the game right now, and it’s not even remotely close. The lack of at-bats due to the occasional day off, always getting replaced in the later stages of games, and ridiculous amount of walks hurts his fantasy value, but he’s still back among the elite.
Some have expressed concern of Bonds shutting it down after passing Hank Aaron, and while I think it’s a legitimate worry, San Francisco’s starting rotation just might keep them around the playoff picture into September, making it more likely Bonds plays regularly. He’s healthier than he’s been in years, so it’s not like he’s laboring too much. The fact that he’s turning 43 this summer obviously needs to be taken into account, but for those in daily leagues, he’s even more of a help, as his off days are fairly predictable (day game after night game, most Sundays). One more year removed from knee surgery and no longer hampered by bone chips in his elbow, the bat speed has fully returned.
Right now, he’s on pace for a .318-50-111-106-5 season. If Ray Durham ever starts hitting, he could score 125 runs, despite getting pinch run for every game during the eighth or ninth inning. Opposing teams have already started to take notice, as the intentional walks have increased exponentially since the start of the season. Barry Bonds is back, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
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