Barry Bonds Confirms How His Father’s Tough Love Shaped His Entire Baseball Career

Barry Bonds successfully matched the footsteps of his father, MLB legend Bobby Bonds, if not better. While Bobby Bonds was the first player to have more than two seasons of 30 homers and 30 SBs, he achieved this feat for a total of 5 times in his career. Coincidentally, his son Barry Bonds was only able to match his feat years later. Well, Barry Bonds’ 762 career home runs are still unbroken and unlikely to be broken anytime soon. So what went behind Bonds to create such a decorated career?

Barry Bonds’ father and mentor are the two pillars of success for him. Apart from his father, the Giants’ Hall of Famer Willie Mays mentored Bonds to his great success. Barry Bonds and Willie Mays were both baseball greats and close friends, with Mays serving as Bonds’ godfather. What’s better than this for a young rookie to develop? Well, Barry Bonds repaid Mays by recording 762 career home runs and 2,558 career walks. While Mays had a larger impact on Bonds’ career, how did his father, Bobby Bonds, shape his baseball career?

“My dad was the one who challenged me to a point where he expected perfection in practice,” said Bonds in a podcast with ALL THE SMOKE. It was this “nothing is enough” attitude of Bobby Bonds that hardened Barry from his initial days. Bonds Sr. always ensured that his son didn’t get carried away with self-satisfaction. Thus, from the initial days, Bonds Jr. got the winning attitude from his father and skill enhancement from Mays. That was a perfect start for Barry Bonds to be what he is today. While Barry Bonds is retired now, who’s coming up next to get his place?

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Who can be the Barry Bonds 2.0?Well, no MLB player has matched Barry Bonds’ home run record, and it’s unlikely that any will soon. Bonds is the all-time home run leader in Major League Baseball. While his home run record is unlikely to be broken, few players from the current roster can match the aura of Bonds. Guess what? It’s no other than Shohei Ohtani. He became the first player in the MLB ever to record a 50-50 season. Ohtani concluded 2024 with 54 homers, 130 RBI, 59 stolen bases, a 9.2 WAR, and a .310/.390/.646 slash line. Thus, Ohtani can be a bet to touch Bonds’ record of 73 home runs in a single season.

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On the other hand, Juan Soto has walked at least 129 times in 4 consecutive seasons. Barry Bonds is the only other MLB player ever to do that. Soto already broke the highest contract ever, once held by Bonds at his time. Both Soto and Ohtani have hitting abilities much like Bonds, and they might accumulate home runs to challenge the former Giant. Although Bonds thinks otherwise. “The game is way different than it was when I played,” said Bonds on why Ohtani cannot match his legacy.

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Time will tell if someone can break Bonds’ record. For now, Bonds will be the benchmark for the hitters. Who do you think can match Barry Bonds? Comment below.