An Expanded Role For Barry Bonds Would Be a Win For Both Sides

The 2010 World Series championship launched a new era in San Francisco Giants baseball. And it’s an era that Barry Bonds, in a coaching role, can help shape and refine.

Not only did the Giants build a team that perfectly represented the quirkiness and fun-loving spirit of the City by the Bay, but were able to parade down Market Street with the first World Title on the West Coast. Since then, a common theme has emerged, which has led to much more success. That theme is that the San Francisco Giants treat every man on the roster as an equal and a finds them all a role.

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In all three recent playoff runs, all 25 men on the roster worked together in pursuit of one common goal — a championship. That sort of unity and tight-knit bond among the team has given them the ability to outlast teams who relied solely on their superstars.

Ever since 1958, when the Giants moved west from New York City, they have fielded countless All-Stars, and fan favorite characters. Legends like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal have graced Candlestick Park with their presence and created everlasting memories. But for the first time, Giants fans can truly say that they have been spoiled by winning, as their team has dominated the league with a blue collar work ethic and humble as pie attitude.

Before the 2010’s however, the Giants were seen in a far different light. After consecutive heart breaks in the 2002 World Series and the 2003 NLDS, the Giants fell into a black hole of mediocrity. Even worse, the team had no sense of unity and no clubhouse chemistry as their superstar, Bonds ran the show — and by most accounts, he wasn’t a great teammate.

While there may be reasons to believe he used PED’s at some point during the late 90’s or early 2000’s, it should not completely overshadow his historic career. Bonds stands as major league baseball’s home run king, which is still one of the more prestigious records in American sports.

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He is also the only man in baseball history to hit 500 or more home runs, and steal at least 500 bases. Even during the 90’s, a time in which Bonds was a slim young speedster who was still blessed with superior power, Bonds was already being talked about as a legendary player. But Bonds is also seen as one of the more controversial athletes of all time, as allegations of steroid abuse have and will follow him for the rest of his life.

However, if Mark McGwire was able to return to baseball in a coaching capacity, then there is hope for Barry yet.

Bonds was an extremely talented baseball player, but it was his baseball intelligence that made him the most dangerous hitter of his generation. He was also fortunate enough to grow up in a family filled with baseball royalty. His father, Bobby Bonds, was a three-time All-Star, his cousin is Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, and he is the godson of the one and only, the “Say Hey Kid,”  Willie Mays.

From 1993 to 2007, the Giants were defined by Bonds. The franchise revolved around the slugger, as he was their premier source of power, and also the reason for fans to bought tickets to see a lackluster baseball team. Bonds was a show in himself as was detailed by CNN.

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He may not have been the best teammate around, but he had their respect as can be seen in some thoughts they shared about Bonds, the ballplayer. Rich Aurilia once said, “The rest of us play in the Major Leagues, he’s at another level.” While Benito Santiago offered up, “The rest of us should spend all our time in the dugout bowing to him.”

Even though the team was successful in the win-loss column, it was apparent that there was no unity on the squad as Bonds made sure he was the star and was dealt with in a different way. He reportedly didn’t speak with teammates often,  had a bulging leather chair by his locker, and allowed cameras to follow him during his short ESPN reality series, Bonds on Bonds.

Such fame — and notoriety — led the slugger to act out in interviews and lash out at his teammates. Even his godfather, Mays admits, “Sometimes he says things before he thinks. That’s why I’m here — to remind him that other people have feelings too”.

So why would the Giants want to expose the self-centered superstar to the new generation?

Mar 10, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants former outfielder Barry Bonds (left) talks with catcher Buster Posey during batting practice prior to the game against the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Because he may be the smartest man for the job. Bonds knew pitchers so well that he could tell what pitch was coming just by looking at their arm angles. Bonds was certain that in every at-bat there would be at least one pitch that could be crushed, and he would wait for that pitch, no matter how long it took.

Mechanically, Bonds had no equal as a hitter. His swing was fluid, his footwork at the plate never changed once he found comfort in the batter’s box, and he was surgical in choosing which pitches to swing at, and which to lay off of.

While Bonds is a special talent, there is no doubt that as a coach, he could impart his knowledge and insights to San Francisco’s batters. The mental aspect as well as the routine skills he can teach them can be beneficial to young hitters like Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford.

The “Bonds Effect” was evident last April when both lefties caught fire after taking Bonds’ advice. Belt has struggled to maintain a consistent approach at the plate since then, and  has been seen changing his batting stance a few times per year.

Even right hander Michael Morse credited Bonds for giving tips to improve his footwork. Something he recalled during his eighth inning at-bat in Game 5 of this past NLCS when he hit a game-tying homer. Bonds only spent a week in Spring Training with the Giants last year, but his presence was still felt seven months later on baseball’s biggest stage.

It seems like retirement was just what Bonds needed to remind him just how much the game meant to him. Since he left baseball, he has shown much more appreciation of the game, and seems anxious to return to it in some capacity.

And in a coaching role, the Giants would love to have him spread his knowledge to the current and coming wave of San Francisco players.