Is it time to bench Barry Bonds?

[YardBirds]

He insists on playing outfield... one bad step and its all over... he swings the lumber great though. lt just showed me how gimpy he is.

He's not avoiding injury... he is a walking injury.

[dooz]

No. I do not think the ongoing saga will effect Bonds anymore than it has until and if substantial evidence proving he knowingly used substances which were illegal at the time of use.

i think this is irrelevant. it doesnt matter if there is proof or substantial evidence, the fact is, he is playing quite poorly. Does this have something to do with him using steriods or not using them now? Possibly but no body can know that. Does it have to do with the media pressure and an aging body and knee? Almost undoubtedly.

I disagree. If something solid comes out against Bonds I believe it will effect his play, whether by suspension, stress , both or something else. Currently I do not believe the media pressure is "almost undoubtedly" causing his current play.

If you bench Bonds you likely will regret it.

I said that a combination of media pressures and his knee are most likely the cause. Do you think he looks healthy out there? Do you think that this is just another season for him?

Also, you just showed me a reason to bench bonds, he doesnt hit well in april. Its not like if he is benched once he can never start again. IF you have somebody who is swinging a hot stick and is at least a decent hitter, you should definitely start him over bonds, i would.

[bdrotoronto]

He absolutely smashed 3 balls today. Could have easily been 3 homeruns. I wouldn't bench him unless you had Vlad, Sheffield, Abreu, and Carlos Lee or something.

Yeah, when I saw the highlights today I thought all three of those balls were gone, based on the way they looked.

If they haul Bonds away to jail then I think you would be justified in benching him, but until that time Bonds seems pretty oblivous to all the attention around him, and you should keep him in your fantasy lineup.

[ramble2]

Listening to the game on the radio the other day, the announcers pointed out that in 2001 Bonds started the season hitting 3 for 19. He had a pretty good year that year, when all was said and done.

The worry is if Bonds is swinging at crappy pitches, indicating loss of batting eye or bat speed. Give it until the end of April before you start worrying too much.

[nuggets]

I said that a combination of media pressures and his knee are most likely the cause. Do you think he looks healthy out there? Do you think that this is just another season for him?

Also, you just showed me a reason to bench bonds, he doesnt hit well in april. Its not like if he is benched once he can never start again. IF you have somebody who is swinging a hot stick and is at least a decent hitter, you should definitely start him over bonds, i would.

I think he can hit.

There is plenty reason to start Bonds based on spits as well. The point is at time, which is sooner rather than later, Bonds will produce fantasy stats worthy of the pick most took him at or better.

[Dawgpound 1613]

I think it is a fair question and not so easily answered.

Facts - a 41 y.o. OF (and turns 42 in 3 months) who missed virtually all of the previous season b/c of a knee injury that appears to still be bothering him (which affects the strength of his legs and his hitting base).

"Possible" facts - "looks" heavier (i.e. more weight and therefore more stress on knee), will likely play in only 120 games or so (played in 6 of 8 so far) and I'm not going to even get into debate of whether he was/is/will be using PED.

Based on the first paragraph, people would have written this player off in ST. The only reason people are talking is because it is Barry Bonds. Now people see the 2 long fly balls and the line drive as evidence he's about to break out. I see the two long fly balls as balls that would've been HR two years ago. And the line drive simply shows he is still a major league hitter and hasn't turned into a weak-hitting pitcher.

So, to me, it is a question of expectations. He is not invinvicble. He will succumb to age at some point, be it this year or 5 years from now, and will no longer be a viable fantasy option. And, despite it all, he is still a good (possibly great) player even with a bum knee.

So, if you're expecting the .350/.750 SLG from 2001-2004, I think you're in for a rude awakening. I think .280/.550 is at the top end, which is still very good. But when that is playing 75% of the time, if I had a .270/.500 on the bench playing 95% of the time, then yes I'd consider benching Bonds. Remember, the 7 BB show that teams are still pitching around him such that RBI opportunities will be limited (and his RBI yesterday was his first), making him at best a 2 category player (can't see him with 70+ RBI based on PT and BB).

So, depending on your team, who's on your bench, etc., yes I'd consider benching him. But I'd wait at least two more weeks before doing so. 16 AB screams "small sample size" and if you were optimistic enough to have him on your team 10 days ago, there's no reason to pull the plug now (unless you had a good option on the bench). But I would be ready to pull the plug in the event little changes in the next two weeks as Bonds is not someone I'd give a long leash to this season for all the reasons above.

[Iconoclastic]

He absolutely smashed 3 balls today. Could have easily been 3 homeruns. I wouldn't bench him unless you had Vlad, Sheffield, Abreu, and Carlos Lee or something.

Alright I've changed my mind and am doing a 180. I just benched Bonds for Jay Gibbons. At least Gibbons gets more than 2 ABs a game to do something with and he's producing. Unless you're in a league that counts walks, Bonds shouldn't be starting anymore. No AVG, no runs, no RBIs, no HRs, no SBs. WTF!

[LouisC9999]

I benched him for a recently-picked-up Craig Wilson today

[The Jury]

I benched him for a recently-picked-up Craig Wilson today

I'm benching Bonds for a recently picked up Johnny Gomes

They're saying Bonds is limping, not brutally but noticeably, and he's having trouble putting weight/torque on his left knee, which is his power knee from the left side. He's getting pitched hard down and away, and hasn't been able to muster enough power to go down and smash the ball over the fence. He did hit a double down the third base line last game, so he may be adjusting.

In the mean time, Jonny Gomes is making he happy

[rentz]

ive been benching bonds since the start of the season, only spot starts when one of my main of'rs is off.

bonds just cant get a hit to save his life, and he's obviously not healthy.
im wondering if he will even finsh the season.

cant complain, i got bonds pretty low in the draft compared to where i thought he would go, with the intention of a trade. but im just wondering how long i can keep him in the wings.