Anytime someone starts smashing home runs or walks more than they swing, the baseball world gives off that same line: “He is the Barry Bonds of this era.” It’s the ultimate compliment. The gold standard, and the name that still makes pitchers nervous.
And yet, Barry Bonds, the very measuring stick of greatness, isn’t in the Hall of Fame!
Seventeen years after his final at-bat, Bonds remains exiled from Cooperstown. He spent nearly a decade on the BBWAA ballot, topping out at 66%. He was just nine points shy of getting into that museum of greatness. Now his only hope lies in the Eras Committee. But if you ask him about his stance, he seems done, waiting for the day.
Just recently, Barry Bonds shared a post on his Instagram where 10 athletes who were blackballed from their sports were highlighted. Among them was Bonds! He, for sure, seems hurt by why he hasn’t been able to get into the Hall even now. Even in 2023, he said in an interview, “I was vindicated. I went to the court, I was in federal court, and I won my case, 100%. Where is the vindication of me in my own sport?” And it’s a fair question—maybe leaving him out doesn’t erase the controversy; it erases the truth.
However, last year he made it clear it didn’t bother him so much now. After being inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame last year, he said, “I don’t have to worry about those things anymore in my life. Those hopes, I don’t have them anymore. I hope to breathe tomorrow [and see] if I can make it to 61.” Well, the quote hit with the weight of someone who gave everything to the sport, only to be left on the doorstep. But Bonds had statistical numbers that are unmatched—762 home runs, seven MVPs, 12 Silver Sluggers, and eight Gold Gloves. But because of his alleged ties to using performance-enhancing drugs, he remains on the outside of the Hall of Fame.
He was never suspended. He was never convicted. But he was always judged.
Barry Bonds makes a bold claim of still being able to hit 100mph
The sport might have evolved ever since Barry Bonds last stepped into the box, but according to him, he hasn’t lost a step. Or at least his swing. On an episode of All the Smoke, the 60-year-old casually dropped his feelings—he still believes he could take on a 100 mph fastball. “100? That’s easy,” Bonds said. “I don’t care how hard you throw a baseball… To go up there and hit it, I don’t care how hard you throw.”
Wait—what? Most people would even struggle to see it coming, let alone hit it. But San Francisco Giants legend isn’t joking. His logic is that if he can catch one with a glove, he can hit it with a bat. He did admit that to do something spectacular, though, would need practice. But making contact, he can do easily. And naturally, most people rolled their eyes. A sixty-year-old, out of the league, talking about power? Sounds like legend talk, right? But then, Andrew McCutchen came through with a story that makes Bonds’ claim less far-fetched.
McCutchen shared a story from a batting cage session years ago. He described the unmissable whiplash of bonds swinging. It was so powerful that it sent the ball upward, through the net, and into a TV screen five feet above. “He hit the ball so hard it shattered the screen… The net didn’t break. It just stretched because of the force. I believe him.” That coming from a former MVP and MLB star is a huge deal. The instance he narrated was when he was in his 50s, not 60s. But then, if Bonds could do it, he can do it now.
Don’t you think? Let us know your thoughts though on Bonds and whether you think he should be in the revered Hall of Fame.
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