It’s not Cooperstown.
However, Barry Bonds is a new Hall of Famer.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Tuesday that Bonds will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. He joins a class that includes former manager Jim Leyland and 1970s All-Star catcher Manny Sanguillen. The team will hold a ceremony on August 24th at PNC Park.
“What can I say?” Bonds said, according to a Pirates release. “I’m a little speechless. It was really nice to be able to tell my kids, ‘Your dad is in the Pirates Hall of Fame.’ It’s going to be great to go back to where it all started. ”
Of course, Bonds can’t tell his kids that he’s a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite his status as the most feared slugger of his generation and perhaps of all time, Bonds is not welcomed in Cooperstown. His prominent ties to baseball’s steroid era of the 1990s and early 2000s kept him out.
Should Bonds be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Bonds’ credentials are unassailable. He’s a seven-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glover and two-time batting champion. He’s also baseball’s single-season (73) and lifetime (762) home run king — and that’s if you’re willing to acknowledge the home runs he hit during the steroid era.
Many Baseball Hall of Fame voters don’t. Bonds missed out on induction into the Hall of Fame for the 10th time in his 10th and final season of eligibility on the 2022 Baseball Writers Association of America ballot. He received 66% of the votes that year, well below the 75% threshold for induction into the Hall of Fame. Although he is still eligible for the Hall of Fame as per the committee’s vote, there is no indication that baseball’s gatekeepers are ready to induct Bonds or any other face from the steroid era into the Hall of Fame.
But the Pirates are happy to recognize Bonds’ accomplishments with the organization. He joined the Pirates as a rookie in 1986 and spent his first seven seasons in MLB with Pittsburgh. He was named to the All-Star team twice and won his first two MVP awards with the Pirates before joining the San Francisco Giants in 1993. There he finished his career as a regular player, winning MVP five times in 15 seasons.
Bonds’ season in Pittsburgh has nothing to do with the steroid era. Playing noticeably smaller than he was in San Francisco, Bonds hit .275, on-base percentage .380, and slugging percentage .503, averaging 25 home runs, 79 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases per season. In his final three seasons with Pittsburgh, he finished his career with 33, 25, and 34 home runs, respectively. That’s a high number, but nothing compared to what he accomplished in San Francisco.
In 15 seasons with the Giants, Bonds matched or exceeded his season-high home runs with Pittsburgh (34) 11 times (46, 37, 42, 40, 37, 34, 49, 73, 46, 45, 45). He hit .312/.477/.666 while averaging 39 home runs and 96 RBIs for the season. Although he repeatedly led the league in walks (11 times) and on-base percentage (8 times) in San Francisco, his stolen bases decreased sharply (17.5 times per season).
This honor from the Pirates recognizes Bonds’ early MLB career. And for Bonds on Aug. 24, whether he gets into the Baseball Hall of Fame or not doesn’t seem to matter all that much. He seems genuinely thrilled to be a part of Pittsburgh’s roster.
“Leyland and I are going to have to try to control our emotions because I think we might end up crying more than we actually talk that day. But it’s still going to be great.” said Bonds.
