The Giants have announced that Barry Bonds has joined the organization as a special advisor to team CEO Larry Baer.
Bonds, of course, spent last season as the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins. That stint ended unceremoniously when he was asked not to return for the upcoming season. Word on the street was that he and Don Mattingly did not see eye-to-eye. More significantly, Giancarlo Stanton didn’t care for Bonds, with the latter calling out the former in front of others on at least one occasion. If the manager and the superstar aren’t in your corner, you’re toast as a coach.
His duties in San Francisco are unknown, but the Giants have long kept former stars close in ambassadorial roles if nothing else. In terms of stature he fits alongside Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Gaylord Perry as former Giants who can be seen representing the team publicly.
Whether Bonds wants another crack at coaching is another question, but at the moment San Francisco is happy with Hensley Meulens as their hitting coach. He’s well-respected in the organization and around the league and isn’t going anyplace, at least as long as Bruce Bochy is around.
Now I wonder if they’ll change the dumb “Hall of Famers only” rule they have and retire Bonds’ number 25.
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