Miami

Marlins Considering Barry Bonds for Coaching Staff: Report

The Marlins are reportedly considering the addition of Barry Bonds to their coaching staff

The Miami Marlins are thinking about adding Barry Bonds to their coaching staff, according to a report by MLB.com.

Bonds would serve as an assistant to incumbent hitting coach Frank Menechino. The assistant spot is currently held by Lenny Harris who is expected to remain on the staff. Harris also finished the year as third base coach and should return to that same role.

Adding Bonds to the staff is an interesting and possibly controversial move by Miami. The All-Time home run leader in Major League Baseball has mostly been out of the game since he last played in 2007. Bonds has never held a coaching position at any professional level and only briefly was a spring training instructor for the San Francisco Giants.

As a 14-time All-Star with a career average of .298 to go along with the aforementioned record 762 home runs, Bonds has a wealth of hitting knowledge. If not for a cloud of alleged performance enhancing drug use hovering over his head, the outfielder would surely be in the Hall of Fame at this point.

If Bonds should end up on Miami's staff, he could have his biggest impact on Giancarlo Stanton. Much like Bonds in his heyday, Stanton often finds himself being pitched around. Bonds excelled at making the most of those spots with exceptional patience. During his 22-year career, Bonds was walked 2,558 times. That is a MLB record as are his 688 intentional walks.

Stanton has at times been clearly frustrated by the lack of hittable pitches he is thrown. This has led to the slugger swinging at poor pitches and ending up with poor at-bats. Improving his patience and pitch selection could make Stanton even more of a force in Miami's lineup.

Manager Don Mattingly's coaching staff is expected to have veterans Perry Hill and Reid Cornelius on it as well as Juan Nieves who would serve as pitching coach.

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