5 MLB teams Barry Bonds should coach for next
Barry Bonds is in need of a coaching job now, and these might be the best fits
When Barry Bonds was brought on last December to become the hitting coach for the Miami Marlinsb, the announcement was met with a mixture of surprise, shock and a healthy amount of trepidation as well. So it is not completely surprising when it was announced earlier this week that Bonds was relieved of his duties just 10 months after initially taking them on.
Such was the extent that Bonds had alienated Mattingly that it is rumored the Marlins manager would have stepped down if Bonds was retained. It is just another in the long history of stories around Bonds being hard-to-impossible to deal with throughout his career. But unlike when he was resetting the record books en route to winning seven Most Valuable Player awards during his on-field career, it is easy to turn the page on a hitting coach, no matter what he accomplished.
And regardless of the brevity of his time with the club, the Marlins offense is in better condition post-Bonds than before his tenure. The team finished second in the National League in team batting average on the year, with Christian Yelich and Marcel Ozuna in particular making big strides on the year. The team’s runs scored and slugging percentage finished towards the bottom of the Majors, but that is just as much of a device of both the struggles and absence of Giancarlo Stanton as it is of any issues of Bonds.
But despite anything else, the facts are that Bonds is a free agent from the game once again. And while he said he would like to return to Miami for another year back in August, it is unclear if he’s interested in going elsewhere to continue coaching at this juncture. But it should not be surprising if either he or a team in need reaches out for his services for the 2017 season.
But what team would offer the best –or at least most intriguing— fit for him?
5. Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are a club that is rebuilding on the fly, having dealt away many of the players that made them an annual contender in the NL Central just a few years ago. While Ryan Braun remains standing (for now), many of the surrounding players there now are mostly unrecognizable in comparison, and more recently acquired talents are on their way in the next few years.
As a result of this, Milwaukee has gradually fallen down the National League leaderboard in runs scored in each of the last few years, from sixth in 2014, to 9th in 2015, finally down to 11th this past summer. Bonds bettered the Miami offense in his year with it, stabilizing their team batting average at .263, all without former batting champion Dee Gordon and Stanton in the mix for most of the year. So he has shown that he does not need a particularly stacked lineup to make his plan work.
Now, one thing that could make Milwaukee a tough match for Bonds is that personality of his, that is almost certainly bigger than manager Craig Counsell. While Counsell was an accomplished player in his own right, winning two World Series, the bigger personality of the legendary Bonds could be a detractor for a young manager. If Bonds’ ways overwhelmed even Don Mattingly, who was seemingly able to block out the noise in New York and Los Angeles in his career for the most part, it could be an insurmountable task for Counsell, who could be managing for his job in 2017.
Sep 4, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits a triple in the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
4. Colorado Rockies
Where else would be better to apply your craft as a hitting coach than in Colorado, where the results are naturally amplified as a benefit of your surroundings? Coors Field has long created many careers at the plate, and is also home to an enticing mixture of talents on the roster currently, most notably two-time defending National League home run and RBI leader Nolan Arenado.
Joining Arenado is a talented core of Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and 2016 batting champion D.J. Lemahieu as well, which provides a very solid group of annual producers that can ease some of the load on Bonds to solely create results.
More than anything else, perhaps Bonds’ philosophies can help the long-beleaguered Rockies become a formidable (or at least comparatively competent) group on the road as well. The Rockies’ on-base percentage dipped from an NL-best .369 at home to .302 on the road, second worst in the league. Meanwhile Bonds’ Marlins had the second best road OBP at .333, behind only the Chicago Cubs.
If Bonds could make that type of uptick in Colorado, it would make a big change in the potential of the Colorado team moving forward. And with the recent resignation of Walt Weiss, perhaps there could be an opening for Bonds in the new Colorado regime.
Sep 28, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics shortstop Marcus Semien (10) is met by Oakland Athletics center fielder Jake Smolinski (5) after hitting a 3 run home run in the eighth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
3. Oakland Athletics
A team in a perpetual state of renewing itself could do well with letting Bonds have a crack at its diverse offering of talents coming through the door. Much like in Miami, the A’s roster is full of young bats that are figuring their way out in their early days as pros. Bonds would have plenty of putty to mold into professional hitters, as well as some developing bats still have some rough edges to them, such as Marcus Semien and Khris Davis.
Granted, the 93-loss A’s arguably have less everyday talent than even a few teams that finished with worse records than them. Thus, they would be a tougher team to have a noticeable difference in improving. But with the aforementioned Simien and prospect Matt Chapman on the way as well, there will some places where Bonds can truly make an early difference in the career of some of Oakland’s finest.
Another added benefit of being in Oakland could be that it is far from the spotlight of Major League Baseball, and would offer the opportunity to work in even more anonymity than he already did in Miami. Bonds will always be a lightning rod for attention, so being able to stray even further away from it could benefit him as well.
Sep 29, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants second baseman Joe Panik (12) singles on a soft line drive to center scoring right fielder Hunter Pence (not pictured against the Colorado Rockies during the fourth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
2. San Francisco Giants
Who says you can’t come home again? For a while, it seemed as if San Francisco was the only place that Bonds could go in baseball, during his days as an all-out exile. How fitting would it be if he could continue his reappearance in a baseball uniform in the one that he made history (and infamy) in as well?
In all reality, Bonds coming to San Francisco as the lead hitting instructor is not likely….immediately at least. Hensley Meulens has done a solid job in guiding that lineup since 2010, and is not likely to be moving over anytime soon. However, having Bonds in the fold as either a roving hitting instructor or as an assistant could be a good way for him to continue his development in instructing the game, while doing it in familiar circumstances.
Bonds proved that he can bring something to the table in helping to retool a lineup’s potential at the dish. It has been since 2013 that a Giant hit more than 25 home runs, when Hunter Pence connected for 27. While the lead job may not be his right away, having Bonds there to work with increasing the power potential within their ranks could make the Giants an even more dangerous club in years to come.
It is something worth considering, if not slightly a romantic idea, right?
Sep 27, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2) reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. The Braves won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
1. Atlanta Braves
The Braves are a team in transition. They are moving into a new ballpark in 2017 and have put the most severe parts of their rebuilding effort mostly behind them. As a result, they have a number of young bats scattered throughout their lineup, as well as some strategically placed veterans too.
Bonds could play a big role in helping to teach plate approach to those young hitters, such as Dansby Swanson and Mallex Smith. Nobody ever worked an at-bat better than Bonds did and for younger hitters that are breaking the ice in their careers, often times learning how to wait for their pitch is the biggest struggle. Bonds can help there, and having his presence around would help to lend some experience to the growing star in Swanson as well.
In addition, having veterans such as Freddie Freeman, Matt Kemp and Nick Markakis on hand will help to ease some of the message that may have come across as rather abrasive in Miami as well. Relatability is always difficult for a player of Bonds’ stature and natural ability, but the Braves offer an intriguing balance of youth, experience and overall organizational growth for Bonds to continue his development as an instructor.
Ringing up Barry may not be the worst idea as the team searches for its third manager in less than a year’s time currently.
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