When Barry Bonds was on the field, the MLB spreads were always in his favor. The left fielder has had a whirlwind of history within Major League Baseball, but through the thick and thin of it, his home runs were always stellar.
Let’s dive into this legend’s rise to fame and the legacy he left behind.
Baseball Before The Fame
This subheading of “baseball before the fame” paints Bonds in a false light. Barry Bonds is the son of Bobby Bonds – a Major League Baseball player in his own right. Bonds Senior was an outstanding player who would eventually be entered into the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame.
This means that Barry was surrounded by baseball before he could even pick up a bat.
With such an amazing athletic father, it isn’t a surprise to learn that Bond’s skills were noticed as early as high school. During his years in Junipero Serra High School, Bonds was seen as an excellent player, and it didn’t take long for the Universities around him to start calling in.
Bond picked Arizona State and began his college career with a .347 average and 45 home runs. The home run king had just been born!
Getting Professional
With amazing home runs and great speed, it wasn’t a shock to see Bonds joining the professional leagues. He was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985, and was quickly assigned to the Prince Williams Pirates in the Carolina League.
In the Carolina League, Bonds earned the award for July 1985 Player of the Month. This was an award against the whole league, and a rookie stole the show.
the next season with the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League, Bonds batted .311 in 44 games.
It was here that Bonds was gaining his own individual legendary status, and leaving his father’s shadow behind.
Barry Bonds In Figures
Looking at the figures alone, you can see just how amazing Bonds play has been. Of course, watching his games is the best way to see his skill and talents, but numbers can help you compare him to other players.
By the end of his career, Bonds had ca record 762 home runs (73 in a single season) and 2,558 bases on balls (232 for a single-season record).
He was given the honor of Most Valuable Player seven times, the Gold Glove Award eight times, and had his uniform number 25 retired, and entered the San Francisco Giants Hall of Fame, alongside his father.
The Legend He Couldn’t Beat
Without a doubt, Bonds is one of the best baseball players of all time. He holds the record for the most home runs in a career, and the most home runs in a single season.
With 162 career Wins Above Replacement, Barry comes in second for the most by any player, and guess who is in first place? That’s right, Babe Ruth.
A Legacy We Would Rather Forget
Despite all of the amazing accomplishments Bonds achieved, he wasn’t the most liked player during his tumultuous career. In fact, he might take the crown for the most hated.
Bonds played a massive part in the steroid era of baseball, which very likely helped him achieve the amazing success and record-breaking achievements of his legacy.
For much of his career, the Giants slugger was juiced up with performance-enhancing drugs, which made many of his accomplishments questionable.
If we removed the numbers and records Bonds achieved while he was using PEDs, would we still have the same top hitter at the end? The thing is, we don’t know how much the drugs affected his stats, but we do know that Bonds was an amazing home run hitter even in his college days. It’s possible that Bonds could have been Hall of Fame worthy even without steroids.
