Top 75 WAR Totals – Batters During Age 25-27 Seasons

Comments on Top 75 WAR Totals – Batters During Age 25-27 Seasons

1. KPOcala
   February 3rd, 2013 | 11:30 am
   

   I’ve been of the opinion that Bonds started PEDs when he was in his middle twenties, and upped the dose and the types as he aged. I know, hard to prove but if WAR is to be believed……

2. Steve L.
   February 3rd, 2013 | 11:32 am
   

   @ KPOcala:
   I think most of the evidence out there suggests that Bonds started using in 1999 and all the attention went to Sosa and McGwire in 1998.

3. KPOcala
   February 3rd, 2013 | 5:10 pm
   

   @ Steve L.:Steve, I think you’ll agree that PED use started in the late ’70′s-early ’80′s, if not sooner. The thing that always jumps out for me with Bonds is the way his numbers suddenly soared at age 25, and kept going. Remember, any of these players, even The Captain, could take ‘roids in smaller dosages, or not hit the weight room as hard. Bonds started out as bone-rack, and suddenly really putting weight (I know, at that age people “fill out” and lifting will help). But that jump, that year, hmmmm. I wonder how often that’s happened before. I read last week, that something like a quarter million men have made it to the big leagues. When things don’t jibe with history, I have to assume the worst…

4. Steve L.
   February 3rd, 2013 | 5:38 pm
   

   @ KPOcala:
   If I had to offer, I would say that PEDs like steroids became an issue in the mid to late 80′s. Not before. And, by the mid to late 90′s, then it was a really big issue. Then, around 1999/2000, HGH became an issue.

5. KPOcala
   February 3rd, 2013 | 6:57 pm
   

   @ Steve L.:Steve, I remember when Brian Downing put 40# of muscle on in the off-season, Lance Parrish, and others followed suit. Downing’s teammates nicknamed him “The Incredible Hulk”, circa 1980. His .obp suddenly jumped up and he was (slow as he was) astutely turned into a lead-off hitter. I believe, that Gene Mauch was the manager. I remember being astounded at the time, I had a couple years of weight training (at that time I trained at a “health club”, so I wasn’t exposed to the ‘roidheads, yet) behind me, and I never heard of anyone making gains like that….

6. KPOcala
   February 3rd, 2013 | 7:01 pm
   

   @ Steve L.:
   PS, Steve, a few months ago I went on baseballref’s site, and starting looking at players that I’d still remembered the buzz about “off-season workouts”, and sure enough, some very interesting “career arcs”. Enough to convince a jury in criminal law? No. But civil law, without the same burden of proof, maybe, yes.

7. rankdog
   February 4th, 2013 | 4:56 pm
   

   Steroids were around in the 80′s, Ivan Drago was injected in Rock 4 (1985).

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbYe1BPjPgU

8. Steve L.
   February 4th, 2013 | 5:16 pm
   

   @ rankdog:
   LOL.

   @ KPOcala:
   No question, maybe, in the early 80′s, SOME used. But, for sure, by the late 80′s, it was more widespread. That whole A’s team from ’88 to ’90 was juiced, just about.

9. KPOcala
   February 4th, 2013 | 9:43 pm
   

   @ Steve L.: I think it was more than “some”, but we agree on the main point, that it WAS around long before the press thought about it, and that journalists only see weights when they’re doing an interview

   BTW, in the NFL, by the mid-seventies it was pervasive. Makes me wonder now that I think about it, if that’s how Al Davis managed to find old stars, and suddenly produced “rejuvenated players”. Those guys, and the Steelers were incredibly muscular…

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