2. Barry Bonds, 2001
- The Numbers: .328/.515/.863, 73 homers, 137 RBI, NL MVP, 177 walks, 259 OPS+
Yep, I’m going here. Every performance-enhancing chemical compound known to man could have been coursing through the veins of Barry Bonds from 2001 to 2004, but his best season is still worthy of the second spot on this list. His 2001 season shows just how much steroids (allegedly) can help a truly elite hitter. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were great power hitters on the juice, but they did not transform overnight into the most feared hitter in MLB history.
In 2001, Bonds slashed .328/.515/.863 with the record-setting 73 home runs. He kicked off a four-year run of leading the league in walks, OBP, slugging, and OPS. The 2001 season actually started fairly slowly for Bonds outside of the power department. He batted only .240 in April, but hit 11 home runs. He would go on to post two months on the year with a slugging percentage (not OPS) greater than 1.000. That means he averaged more than one base per at-bat. His seasonal slugging percentage is also the all-time MLB record.
Right-handers bore the most of the damage from Bonds in 2001. He slugged .910 against them with 56 home runs and 133 walks. Bonds had 10 multi-homer games on the year. Yes, this season marked the beginning of his PED dabbling, but there is no denying that this was the second-best season in MLB history.