NFL rookies: They’re just like us.
“Us” meaning that they, too, can’t help themselves from completely geeking out over San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds.
New 49ers offensive lineman Nick Zakelj made plenty of friends in the Bay after the first day of rookie minicamp on Friday when he told reporters all about his admiration for the iconic slugger’s stat line.
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Zakelj was selected No. 187 overall in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Fordham University, where he earned a master’s degree in business analytics before achieving his dream of going pro.
“You always surf the Baseball Reference … the coolest thing ever, just even looking at Barry Bonds’ Baseball Reference page [was] probably one of my favorite sites in general, just seeing that 2004 season,” Zakelj gushed. “That’s something that’s just so crazy.”
Looking at websites with statistics readily available for the average sports fan helped Zakelj's passion for analytics grow, and it’s no wonder he was in awe of the Giants slugger and his 2004 MLB season in particular.
San Francisco 49ers
In arguably the best season of his storied career, Bonds hit .362 en route to his second National League batting title and walked a whopping 232 times. His .812 slugging percentage was fourth-highest all time, and he broke his own on-base percentage record with a .609 average.
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Of course, many Giants and 49ers fans are well aware of Bonds’ earth-shattering dominance.
But the start of rookie minicamp this week marked Zakelj’s first time ever being on the West Coast, he told reporters, making his San Francisco knowledge all the more impressive.
As the 49ers decide whether they want to play Zakelj at guard, tackle or maybe even center, the Faithful hope the analytics show the front office got away with a sixth-round steal.