If the hitters of the Miami Marlins want to infuse a little more controversy into their at-bats, their new mentor may be just the right guy.
The Marlins announced the hiring of Barry Bonds Friday.
Bonds, one of the most debated batters of his time, will work on the staff of coach Don Mattingly. Bonds, a seven-time league MVP, inherits a team that was last in the majors in walks and next-to-last in home runs and runs scored. But rumors of steroid abuse trailed him throughout his career.
Those suspicions have helped to keep Bonds out of the Hall of Fame. He received 37 percent of the vote last year, roughly half of the 75 percent he needs.
โI’m a Hall of Fame player in my mind, in my heart,โ Bonds said on a conference call. โGod knows that. That’s all that matters to me. I’ll leave the voting process up to you guys.โ
Another player who was tainted by steroids, Mark McGwire, was hired as bench coach of the San Diego Padres.
Bonds is the career leader in home runs with 762.
