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Bonds' Final Homestand As A Giant?

The teams' final homestand of the season gets started Thursday night and it could be the final time Giants' fans get to see Barry Bonds wearing the orange and black at AT&T Park. Bonds is going to become a free agent after the world series ends and while I have a tough time picturing him in any other uniform, I don't think Bonds will be back with the Giants next year. He had his spurts at times early this season in which he carried the club with his bat, but it's clear that he no longer is the offensive catalyst he once was. Bonds currently has 28 home runs on the year and is hitting .279 which are still very good numbers for a 43 year old, but his play has dropped off significantly over the second half of the season and he just isn't worth the 18+ million dollars he's being paid this season. September has been the roughest month of the year so far for Bonds as he's gone deep just once and has battled nagging injuries. As much as I support Bonds and appreciate what he's done for the Giants over the years, I will not be upset to see the Giants part ways with him after the year. It's a move that has to be made in order for this organization to take the next step forward in rebuilding. So Giants fans, try your best to get to the ballpark during this last week because it's likely to be the last time you see the great Barry Bonds playing for the good guys.

In addition to Bonds' potential farewell homestand, I am also looking forward to getting a better look at the rookies who Bruce Bochy has pledged to play consistently over the last 2 weeks of the season. The two guys I am most intrigued with right now are Nate Schierholtz and Dan Ortmeier. Both these guys could have significant roles with this team next season and both have been getting a lot of playing time lately. Schierholtz is especially intriguing because he's only 23 and has hit .300 or better at every level in his pro career and is hitting .306 through 85 big league at-bats this season. In my opinion, he has the best shot of any of the young players on the club at eventually becoming an everyday player. The one area I would like to see Schierholtz improve on is his plate discipline. He's walked only 2 times in his 87 plate appearances with the Giants and had only 17 walks in over 400 at-bats in Fresno this year. I'd also like to see him show some pop. After hitting 16 jacks in 4 months at Fresno, he's still looking for his first major league home run.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ya Bonds is done in SF. I have no idea what he will do after this year.
4:54 PM
Anonymous said…
He said that he's definitely ready to play some more baseball. The question is, will anyone sign him?
5:25 PM
Anonymous said…
Yeah...I can't imagine why an AL team would want a DH with a .483 on-base percentage and 30 homers...
6:12 PM
Trevor Cole said…
Angels are still my best guess. I am curious to see what kind of contract he gets. He hasn't had a bad year or a very good one. I don't think he's worth the money he's going to be seeking.
10:59 PM
Unknown said…
Nice blog - well done.
12:17 AM
Anonymous said…
Giants have no reason to keep him since they paid him $15 million and they still finished last place. True he had a good home run season with 28 homers so far but only drove in 66 runs and has only 42 extra base hits while Randy Winn leads the team with 51.There are lots of players hitting 28 home runs this season that are not making $15 million.
2:26 PM
Anonymous said…
There are zero other players with a .483 OBP this year making any amount...you're right that he isn't worth a whole lot of money to the Giants, because they're rebuilding, but he's worth a pretty decent amount to some team...
4:01 PM
Anonymous said…
Can't see Bonds not playing next year...some team will give him a shot to get his 3000th hit with them...looks like him hitting his 800th next season is not likely since his September home run slump.
9:51 PM
Anonymous said…
Here are the numbers that he has for each month when it comes to home runs:

April: 8

May: 4
June: 4
July: 4
August: 7
September: (so far) 1

Altogether, he has 28 homers, and in his career so far, he has 762 homers. So, he needs 38 homers to get to 800. So, it's not likely that he'll hit his 800th next season, but it IS likely that he'll get his 3000th hit. He needs only 65 more of those to join another elite club that he doesn't deserve to be in.
9:57 PM
Anonymous said…
If not for help from Balco Bonds may have been retired years ago. There is always some team that will take him regardless of his poor relations with media, fans and teammates.
2:23 PM
Anonymous said…
I think he would be a good fit in Oakland. It is in the AL so he can DH and Oakland values players like Bonds (as should everyone).
2:25 PM
Anonymous said…
I can't picture him in an A's uniform. Weren't the A's thinking about signing him last offseason as well?
2:02 PM
Anonymous said…
He would have to take a hell of a pay cut because the A's are not known for handing out big contracts, and in the case of Bonds...why would you shell out an eight figure deal for a one dimensional 43 year old clubhouse cancer?
2:03 PM
Anonymous said…
I am a big Bonds defender and I hope he can go to a contender, he could be a great dh at this point in his career. I would like to watch him go somewhere where they have booed him relentlessly just to watch the fans do a 180.
5:52 PM
Anonymous said…
Keep that low class jerk out of Denver is all I have to say. Baseball is not better to have him and for all the talk he does about his Godfather, he sure did not make him proud!
8:27 PM
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