As of
Barry Lamar Bonds was born on July 24, 1964, the son of Patricia and Bobby Bonds.
Within four years, Bobby would be in the Majors as an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, and Barry spent much of his youth around MLB clubhouses as his father moved from the Giants to seven other franchises before finishing up with the Chicago White Sox in 1981.
Five years later, in 1986, Barry Bonds made his Major League debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates after a successful college career at Arizona State University and a short run through the Bucs minor league system.
Touted as a five-tool player, Bonds made his mark early as a fast runner who could connect with enough power and frequency to put up double-digit home run totals each of his first four seasons.
In 1990, he smacked 30 bombs (33) for the first time, joining his father in the 30-30 club by also stealing 52 bases.
Bonds also won his first of seven National League MVP awards as the Pirates won their first division title since 1979. Two years later, Bonds won the trophy again and then departed for the Giants as a free agent in the offseason.
In San Francisco, Bonds developed into one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen and eventually set both the single-season home run record, with 73 (in 2001), and the career record, with 762.
However, steroid allegations soon decimated Bonds' reputation, and he stepped away from the game in 2007 at the age of 42 despite putting up a 1.045 OPS and 3.4 WAR (Baseball Reference version) that summer.
Though Bonds has denied the allegations against him, he was tied strongly to the BALCO case, and the resultant PED taint has kept him on the sidelines when it comes to the Hall of Fame.
Through his first eight election cycles, Bonds' highest vote percentage was just shy of 61%, in 2020. That leaves him two years of eligibility to make up the remaining 14% to reach the 75% required for election.
In the hobby, Bonds has generally been a popular figure, but not one that defines or pushes the market.
Part of that is because his rookie cards, in 1986 and 1987, came at a time when fellow sluggers like Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire were putting up more eye-popping numbers.
And, of course, part of it is due to the lingering suspicions around his records, with many fans holding the opinion that Roger Maris (single-season) and Hank Aaron (all-time) are still the rightful home run kings.
Regardless of the backlash, Bonds was on a Hall of Fame course before he ever started putting up numbers that seemed to be possible only in a video game.
You have to figure he'll continue to get Cooperstown consideration, in some form or another, as long as the Hall of Fame exists ... or until he gets in.
(The following card listings contain affiliate links.)
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