First time hitting coach Barry Bonds sat next to new Marlins manager Don Mattingly during the team’s Fan Fest on Saturday at Marlins Park.
Advertisement
In this year’s Hall of Fame voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, Bonds got 44.3 percent of the votes cast, leaving him almost 31 percent short for admission but his highest vote total in his fourth year on the ballot.
And while he said he understands that it’s up to the media to make that determination, he added that in his circle, the decision has always been a unanimous one. “But in my heart and soul, and God knows I’m a Hall of Famer”. “There’s not a coach who ever coached me that says I’m not one”. “I don’t really need to get into that”.
Bonds is the career leader in home runs with 762 and a seven-time NL MVP, but the Marlins are treating him like one of the guys. Bonds officially began his stint as Marlins hitting coach this week when the team opened spring training at their complex in Jupiter, Florida. Ace Jose Fernandez, a. 190 career hitter, joked that he can hit the ball farther than the new hitting coach. After earning the start on Opening Day for the Rangers in 2014, he was limited to 23 innings that season because of an elbow injury.
Don Mattingly takes over this season as the Marlins’ seventh manager since June 2010. Manager Scott Servais and some of his coaching staff are new, and the Mariners have 17 major league players on the spring training roster who were acquired this offseason.
“They say I just look great”. His knee became swollen after a bullpen session earlier in the week. “As long as we’re consistent, I think it’s not that big of a deal”. The 34-year-old Janssen was 2-5 with a 4.95 ERA over 40 innings in 48 games last season with the Nationals.
Advertisement
Bonds might agree. He said he knows what will work if a player is willing to put in the time, and as a mentor, he said he can be another Willie Mays.
