Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds is one of the most famous and successful baseball players of all-time.  In his 22 big league seasons, he was a 14-time All-Star, seven-time MVP, 12-time Silver Slugger winner, and eight-time Gold Glove winner.  With 762 home runs, Bonds holds baseball’s all-time record.  His 73 home runs in 2001 are the single-season record.  He is the only man to have over 500 homers and 500 stolen bases in a career.  Early in his career, he carried the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first playoff berth in over a decade and three strait National League East titles.   Bonds also helped the San Francisco Giants reach the 2002 World Series and batted .322 with eight home runs and 16 RBI during that postseason.  His success could perhaps have been envisioned just by observing who he grew up around.  Bonds’ father, Bobby, was a successful All-Star level teammate and Hall of Famer Willie Mays became his godfather.  Despite all of his remarkable on-field achievements, Bonds’ difficult relationship with the press and speculation regarding the use of performance enhancing drugs has kept him at this point out of the Hall of Fame.