Are you kidding?

It's definitely a talent to say the least. A gift in the game of baseball, especially for a lead-off hitter, is the ability to take pitches. If you go up there hacking at the 1st pitch, you haven't seen what the pitcher has, and you sure as hell aren't making the pitcher throw more pitches. Rickey has always had the uncanny ability to take close pitches due to his batting stance and incredible eye at the plate. Most batters simply swing on a 3-2 pitch because they just think no matter what it will be a strike; however, those who can actually hold off on that pitch (Sammy Sosa, are you listening?) can fight it off as a walk (a so-called "earned" walk). Earning that walk then enables Rickey to get on base, then to steal, and then to eventually score. Hence, the all-time SB and runs scored records (and formally walk record)...

Last, but not least, Rickey's ability to amass the 2nd most walks of all-time while also grabbing over 3,000 hits is phenomenal and very rare. Even the "fake/steriod" abusing Bonds hasn't done that (yet). Nor, has Barry won a championship!