Many individuals have examined and debated this question repeatedly over the past few years and there are quite a few varying opinions. And, depending on how you look at it there may not be a definitive answer – at least not until he retires, because he continues to break records and put forth staggering numbers year after year.

Barry Bonds was born to play baseball. This much is true. His father, Bobby Bonds, though not a Hall of Famer, had an impressive career and was a great ballplayer that combined power and speed. His cousin, Reggie Jackson is one of baseball's premier power hitters. And then there is his godfather, Willie Mays, who excelled in all aspects of the game — hitting for average and power, fielding, throwing and base running.

Of course, good breeding does not automatically make a great baseball player - let us not forget Pete Rose, Jr. So, what does make a great baseball player? In my opinion, if everyone could agree on what makes a great (or the greatest) player, then the question would be much easier to answer.

What feats has Barry accomplished throughout his career? Well, we all know that he crushed Mark McGwire’s single season home run record in 2001 with 73. More impressively, he eclipsed Babe Ruth's 81-year old slugging mark (.863) and set a new standard for walks (198 in 2002). He also broke Ted Williams' OBP record, won the batting title and an unprecedented fifth MVP award (no other player has been named MVP more than three times). Maybe even more amazing is the fact that Bonds and Mays reached the 500 home run mark in nearly the same number of at-bats (Bonds hit his in 7,502 AB and Mays hit his in 7,533 AB) while it took Barry almost 1,300 fewer at-bats than it took Mays to reach the 600 mark. Barry is also the only member of the 400-400 club (HR’s -steals) and he is currently only 4 steals away from the 500-500 club.

There is no question that Barry has had at least two of the greatest offensive seasons in history (2001-2002) but does that make him the greatest player? While he has clearly established one of the most impressive careers offensively, there are still many people that are critical. It has been argued that today’s pitching is watered down and it is easier to hit home runs. This may be true except that you must take into consideration the fact that Barry is in his eleventh season in San Francisco and neither Candlestick nor Pacific Bell Park are known as hitters’ parks. Who knows, if he had been playing in Colorado he may have hit 800 home runs by now. Besides that, Bonds rarely sees good pitches to hit, which is evidenced by the fact that he has led the league in intentional walks nine times, but I digress.

Let’s look at his talent out in the field. True, he is sometimes overconfident and does not always hustle but he is undeniably an exceptional fielder and he has been honored with 8 Golden Glove awards. His career fielding percentage is a not too shabby .983. His arm and his range are excellent and he often robs hits and extra bases from the opposition.

Many detractors say that he is too arrogant; some fans do not appreciate the way that he watches his home runs soar over the fence. But who can blame him? Anyone that has witnessed one of his powerful shots can attest to the fact that they are indeed a sight to behold. Besides, Tiger Woods pumps his fists after a good putt and Michael Jordan has been known the hang from the basket after a slam-dunk so why should this be any different? If you’ve got it, why not flaunt it?

Others are critical of Bonds because he is not a ‘team-player’. How much of this is true and how much of this is actually fabricated by the media, who incidentally have not been among his supporters? And how much bearing does it or should it have on Barry being categorized as the best player anyway? Personality-wise Barry Bonds is similar to Roger Maris; he is an intensely private man who tries to shield his family from the press and he is respected by his teammates for the most part. But, does this even matter; shouldn’t he be judged by his on the field accomplishments?

Barry has also been criticized in the past because of poor post-season performances although, after the 2002 post-season I would think that those criticisms have been allayed. Even though the Giants lost the series, Barry shined. Not only did he blast a home run in his first at-bat, he added three more during the series and ended up with an average of .471, six RBI, eight runs scored, and a 1.294 SLG percentage.

Are you still unconvinced? Let’s look at some side-by-side comparisons*:

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

So, what it comes down to is this - without a doubt Barry Bonds is a complete player – an amazing hitter, runner, and fielder. And this is what makes him among the best to ever play the game of baseball. That he will be enshrined in Cooperstown is not up for debate. But is he the greatest player ever? I guess that depends on how you look at it - I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

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