Prior to 2001, MLB superstar, Barry Bonds, had already achieved an elite status and was respected by pitchers, who often pitched around him at unimaginable rates during the 90s. But in that 2001 season, something remarkable happened.
Bonds broke the barrier set by Mark McGwire and unleashed a barrage of 73 home runs. As a result, pitchers no longer allowed Bonds to challenge such a mark. His walk rate only continued to grow until Bonds saw less than 405 at-bats per season. Bonds’ 2001 season marked the only year his annual home run total eclipsed 49. But he wasn’t just a home run hitter.
Bonds often hit for batting averages well-above .300, topping out at .370 in 2002. This combination of walks and high batting averages resulted in on-base percentages higher than .500 every year from 2001 through 2004. As unbelievable as it sounds, Bonds found his way on base in more than half of his plate appearances across a four-year span. Bonds’ torrid 2001 stretch marked the first time a player achieved an on-base percentage of .500 or higher since all-time greats Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams did it in 1957.
In 2004, Bonds set the all-time record with an otherworldly on-base percentage of .609. It was the first time a yearly on-base percentage eclipsed .600, breaking the previous record of .582, also set by Bonds. It was also the last time a yearly on-base percentage peaked above .500. Today, another all-time great is challenging this mark.
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Aaron Judge is aiming to edit the history books yet again
Like Bonds, New York Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge has already added a few home run records to his name; but his remarkable ability to hit baseballs great distances repetitively isn’t stopping him from branching out and trying for a few other historical achievements. One such pursuit is hitting for a batting average of .400. After an 0-for-4 night in Wednesday’s match against the Padres, Judge is hitting .400 with an MLB-leading 12 home runs.
Hitting for a .400 batting average in itself is already a historical pursuit; but Judge is also pushing the boundaries with a .491 on-base percentage. Prior to Wednesday’s game, Judge had an OBP over .500 but quickly lost it. Despite the quick drop, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his OBP climb again over the next few games if he maintains his scorching pace. Still, the question remains if he can keep it there.
As a respected slugger, pitchers tend to walk Judge at staggering rates; however, it doesn’t quite come close to the free bases allotted to Bonds in his over-.500 OBP stretch. In 2024, Judge drew 133 walks, with 20 intentional base-on-balls. When combined with his .322 batting average, his OBP on the year was a career-high and MLB-leading .458. If he’s going to top a .500 OBP, he will need to keep his batting average far above the .322 he posted last season while drawing walks at a higher rate. Thus far, he has a good jump on this goal, but the odds are still stacked against him.
Besides Bonds, the closest any player has come to finishing a Major-League season with a .500 OBP since 1957 was Juan Soto during the pandemic-shortened season in 2020. Soto hit .351 with 41 walks in 196 plate appearances while playing for the Nationals, culminating in an awe-striking OBP of .490.