Aug-23

ASU's 50 Best Professional Athletes No. 2: Baseball's Barry Bonds

POSTED BY: Barry Bonds in NEWS

His records are mired in controversy. His accomplishments are, nonetheless, amazing.

No one in the history of Major League Baseball has hit more home runs than Barry Bonds, and no one has been as feared at the plate as the man who was walked 2,558 times.

These stats, and others, have the former Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants great slotted at No. 2 in our list of the 50 top processional athletes to come out of Arizona State.

Bonds' time in the desert was both successful and controversial - perhaps a precursor to his professional career.

While hitting at a .347 average with 45 home runs and 175 RBI in three seasons with the Sun Devils, Bonds certainly drew his fair share of criticism. There was a pine tar incident, petty theft accusations, and missed curfews.

 

Oh, and a nearly unanimous team-wide vote to kick Bonds off the baseball team.

Despite their problems, Bonds and the maroon and gold went on to play in two College World Series in his time with the team.

He was then selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1985 MLB Draft, making his major league debut one year later with Pittsburgh. He would go on to play seven seasons with the Pirates before becoming a free agent and choosing to spend the rest of his career with San Francisco.

The top moment of his professional career came there, when he broke the all-time career home run record that was previously held by Hank Aaron. Amidst accusations of steroid use, Bonds jacked his 756th career homer on August 7, 2007.

The 2007 campaign was his last as a player. Today, Bonds appropriately serves as a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins.

 

Source:

Connor Pelton | www.houseofsparky.com | August 23, 2016