The Miami Marlins had some fun with an impromptu home run derby on Wednesday and hitting coach Barry Bonds walked away the winner.
Bonds who is in his first year as Miami's hitting coach showed his pupils that he still has it in the fun filled morning. Taking part in the HR derby were several players including slugger Giancarlo Stanton. There have been no pictures or videos released from the event as of yet, but SiriusXM's Craig Mish witnessed the derby and provided some updates.
Barry Bonds just beat the Marlins players on a back field HR BP contest. Including Stanton. — Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 16, 2016
There won't be video. I caught the end. Fumbled on the way to periscope. Fail. — Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 16, 2016
I can report that Bonds seemed "happy" he won. PG-13 version. "You guys only see that on TV" — Craig Mish (@CraigMish) March 16, 2016
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Bonds is the All-Time leader in home runs for Major League Baseball and is in camp in great shape despite not playing since 2007. At 51-years old, Bonds is virtually a father figure to many of the players on the roster. On this day, he showed he could still hit a ball with ease as well.
The experience, knowledge and success that Bonds brings to Miami's bench is immeasurable and it appears that players have enjoyed having the All-Star around. There have been several moments in Jupiter where the Marlins can be seen gathered around Bonds listening and learning.
Bonds will be tasked with improving a disappointing offense and one of his most important tasks will be working on the patience of Stanton. Miami's outfielder has been visibly frustrated with a lack of hittable pitches in the past, and there is no player in MLB history who understands these situations better than Bonds.
Miami is set to begin the 2016 season on April 5th at Marlins Park.
