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 he's a Baseball Hall of Famer. Despite his status as the most feared slugger of his generation and perhaps of all time, Bonds is not welcomed in Cooperstown. He's been shut out because of his ties to baseball's steroid era of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Should Bonds be in the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Bonds' credentials are unassailable. He is a seven-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, eight-time Gold Glover, and two-time batting champion. He is also baseball's single season (73) home run leader (73) and lifetime (762) home run leader. That is, if you are willing to acknowledge the home runs he hit during the steroid era.
Many Baseball Hall of Fame voters don't. Bonds was voted out of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 2022 for the 10th and final time in his 10th and final season of eligibility. The vote rate that year was 66%, far below the 75% standard for joint enshrining. Although he is still eligible by committee vote, there is nothing to suggest that baseball's gatekeepers are ready to induct Bonds or other faces of the steroid era into the Hall of Fame.
But the Pirates are eager to see Bonds' legacy with the franchise. He joined the Pirates as a rookie in 1986 and spent his first seven MLB seasons in Pittsburgh. He was named to two All-Star teams and won his first two MVP awards with the Pirates before joining the San Francisco Giants in 1993. There, he was a perennial MVP candidate and finished his career as a five-time winner over 15 seasons.
Bonds' seasons in Pittsburgh were unrelated to the steroid era. Playing in a significantly smaller frame than he did in San Francisco, Bonds slashed .275/.380/.503 while averaging 25 home runs, 79 RBIs and 36 stolen bases per season. He finished his Pittsburgh career with 33 home runs, 25 home runs and 34 home runs in his final three seasons, respectively. Those were high totals, but nothing like what he had 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 relates to Bonds' early MLB days. And whether he's in the Baseball Hall of Fame or not apparently doesn't matter much to Bonds on Aug. 24. He seems genuinely thrilled to be a part of Pittsburgh's class.
“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.
