Emilio Bonifacio walked in the bottom of the first inning and scored for the Marlins, helping them to an early 2-0 lead against the Cubs Thursday afternoon. That brings Emilio’s OBP up to .455 for the season, as he drew his seventh walk in 13 games to go with 16 hits. Before 2011, Bonifacio didn’t get much of a chance to play, amassing 923 PA in four seasons and a .306 OBP. Note, however, that we can’t get a good read on a player before about 1500 PA. Emilo played 2011 as a 26 year old, near the start of his prime, and posted a .360 OBP in his first full season on the field. He waked 59 times, having walked 69 times in his previous seasons. He’s carried that forward into 2012 to become an outstanding table setter.

I don’t know if this was just Bonifacio maturing as a hitter, or if some coach convinced him to change his style. We saw the latter with both Sammy Sosa and Jose Bautista. Whatever happened, Bonifacio saved his career and could be on his way to a big pay day as he has two years of arbitration left.