Barry Bonds Biography

Last year Barry won his third straight Most Valuable Player Award and the sixth one in his brilliant career. He led the National League in slugging percentage (.749) and on-base percentage (.529) and finished second in the league in home runs (45) and sixth in runs scored (111) despite playing in just 130 games. Barry made his 12th All-Star Game appearance last year and helped lead the Giants to the post-season for the third time in the last four seasons. The most dominating player in the game, Barry completely changes the way teams play against the Giants. Opponents will pitch around him any chance they can. He led the majors in both intentional walks (61) and overall bases on balls (148). When he does get to hit, teams often put on a dramatic shift against Barry, employing three infielders on the right side of second base. Still, he finished third in the league with a .341 average. While he is best known for his power, Barry also seldom strikes out, rarely hits into a double play and, even as he approaches his 40th birthday, he remains an excellent percentage base-stealer. An eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, Barry still plays excellent position defense and his arm is as accurate as any left fielder's in the game. After a standout career at Arizona State University, the Pirates selected Barry with the sixth overall pick in the 1985 draft. He made his major-league debut in 1986 and he helped lead the Pirates to the post-season in three consecutive years from 1990-1992 before becoming a free agent. He signed with the Giants prior to the 1993 season and transformed the club from 72 wins the year before to 103 victories in his first year in the Bay Area. Thanks in large part to Barry's presence on the club, the Giants have won at least 86 games in each of the past seven seasons. Barry has led them to the post-season four times, including the 2002 World Series.