For better or worse, Barry Bonds is an integral part of the history of San Francisco Giants baseball, and the franchise appears intent on honoring his legacy in physical form.
“On the radar. Certainly Barry’s deserving of a statue. I would say he should be next up. We don’t have an exact location, the exact date, the exact timing, but you’re saying things that we’re totally in sync with. … It’s coming. All I can say is it’s coming,” Giants CEO Larry Baer said when asked about a potential Bonds statue outside Oracle Park in an interview on 95.7 The Game on Wednesday.
After spending the first seven seasons of his MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1986 through 1992, Bonds, who was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame last year, signed with the Giants in the 1992-93 MLB offseason and proceeded to go on a historic tear.
Across his 15 seasons with the Giants, Bonds posted a .666 slugging percentage (first in franchise history), 586 home runs (second behind Willie Mays), a 112.5 WAR (second), 1,440 RBIs (third), 1,951 hits (fifth) and a .312 batting average (10th). In 2001, Bonds hit 73 home runs, an MLB record which still stands. He hit 40-plus home runs in eight of his 15 seasons with the Giants, posted an OPS above 1.000 in all but one season over that span (2006) and posted an OPS above 1.200 in four consecutive seasons (2001-04).
In the 2002 World Series, Bonds hit four home runs, while posting an absurd .471/.700/1.294 slash line. Bonds, who’s first in MLB history with both 688 intentional walks and 2,558 walks total, finished his MLB career with a combined 762 home runs, which is first in MLB history. Bonds was a seven-time league MVP, eight-time Gold Glover and 12-time Silver Slugger.
Of course, Bonds’ legacy is mired by multiple allegations of steroid use, which has kept him out of the Hall of Fame. He was last on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2022, receiving 66% of the vote; you need 75% of the vote to be enshrined.
As for Bonds’ old club, the Giants are 44-36 this season, tied with the San Diego Padres for second place in the National League West.
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