Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Barry Bonds

Discover the career path of Barry Bonds, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Barry Bonds, a former MLB left fielder, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1986-1992) and San Francisco Giants (1993-2007). Widely regarded as one of baseball's all-time greats, he holds numerous records. His career is also marked by controversy surrounding allegations of performance-enhancing drug use.

Sections (7)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals Legacy & Impact

1973: Bobby Bonds Almost Achieves 40-40

In 1973, Barry Bonds' father, Bobby Bonds, nearly achieved a 40-40 season, with 39 home runs and 43 stolen bases.

1982: Giants Draft Bonds

In 1982, the Giants drafted Barry Bonds in the second round of the MLB draft; however, they could not agree on contract terms, leading Bonds to attend college instead.

May 30, 1986: Makes MLB Debut

On May 30, 1986, Barry Bonds made his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 0-for-5 with a walk in a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

1986: Joins Pittsburgh Pirates

In 1986, Barry Bonds joined the Pittsburgh Pirates, marking the start of his Major League Baseball career.

1986: First MLB Home Run

In 1986, Barry Bonds led National League rookies with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, 36 stolen bases, and 65 walks. He also hit his first major league home run on June 4, driving in four runs in a win over the Atlanta Braves.

1986: Plays for Hawaii Islanders

In 1986, Barry Bonds played 44 games for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League, hitting .311 with seven home runs and 37 RBI.

1987: Switches to Left Field

In 1987, Barry Bonds switched to left field for the Pittsburgh Pirates, following the arrival of centerfielder Andy Van Slyke.

1988: Improved Performance

In 1988, Barry Bonds improved his performance, hitting .283 with 24 home runs and 58 RBI. The Pirates also broke the previous year's attendance record.

1988: José Canseco's 40-40 Season

In 1988, José Canseco achieved a 40-40 season.

1989: Previous Lowest Average

In 1989, Barry Bond's averaged higher than the 1997 record, making it the lowest average since then.

1990: Wins First MVP Award

In 1990, Barry Bonds won his first MVP Award, hitting .301 with 33 home runs and 114 RBI. He also won his first Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award, and the Pirates reached the postseason for the first time since 1979.

1991: Another Great Season

In 1991, Barry Bonds had another great season, batting .292 with 25 homers and 116 RBIs. He won another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger but finished second in MVP voting.

1991: Lowest slugging percentage

In 2006, Bonds recorded his lowest slugging percentage since 1991 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

March 1992: Proposed Trade to Braves Rescinded

In March 1992, a trade deal that would send Barry Bonds to the Atlanta Braves was agreed upon, but later rescinded due to opposition from the Pirates manager, Jim Leyland.

1992: Leaves Pittsburgh Pirates

In 1992, Barry Bonds concluded his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates after playing for them since 1986.

1993: Joins San Francisco Giants

In 1993, Barry Bonds became a member of the San Francisco Giants, continuing his MLB career with the team.

1993: Wins Second Consecutive MVP Award

In 1993, Barry Bonds hit .336 with 46 home runs and 123 RBI, leading the NL and winning his second consecutive MVP award. The Giants won 103 games but missed the playoffs.

1993: Signs with Giants

In 1993, Barry Bonds signed a record-breaking free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants for $43.75 million over six years.

1994: Strike-Shortened Season

In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Barry Bonds hit .312 with 37 home runs and 81 RBI and led the league in walks, finishing fourth in MVP voting.

1995: Plays 144 Games

In 1995, Barry Bonds played in 144 games, hitting .294 with 33 homers and 104 RBI, finishing 12th in MVP voting.

1996: Joined 40-40 Club

In 1996, Barry Bonds became one of only six baseball players to ever be in the 40-40 club, achieving 42 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season.

1996: 40-40 Season

In 1996, Barry Bonds became the first National League player and second major league player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season, achieving a 40-40 season.

1997: Lowest Average Since 1989

In 1997, Barry Bonds hit .291, which was his lowest average since 1989. He hit 40 home runs and drove in 101 runs, leading the league in walks. He also stole 37 bases, tying his father.

1998: Previous home run slump

Barry Bonds experiences longest home run slump since 1998 in 2006.

1998: Alex Rodriguez's 40-40 Season

In 1998, Alex Rodriguez achieved a 40-40 season.

1999: Returns from Disabled List

After returning to action on June 9, 1999, Barry Bonds struggled at the plate due to nagging injuries, but still managed to hit 34 home runs and drive in 83 runs in only 102 games.

1999: Omission from All-Century Team

In 1999, Barry Bonds was not selected for Major League Baseball's All-Century Team, while Ken Griffey Jr. was chosen instead. This led to discussions about Bonds's appreciation and his standing among the greatest players.

2000: Career Bests in Slugging Percentage and Home Runs

In 2000, Barry Bonds achieved career bests up to that point, with a .306 batting average, .688 slugging percentage, and 49 home runs in 143 games. He also led the league with 117 walks.

2001: Record-Breaking Offensive Production

In 2001, Barry Bonds's offensive production reached unprecedented levels, breaking personal and major league records. He hit 28 home runs in the Giants' first 50 games, including 17 in May, and hit his 500th home run on April 17 against Terry Adams of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also had 39 home runs by the All-Star break, a major league record 177 walks, and a .515 on-base average. Bonds' slugging percentage (.863) was the fifth-highest in MLB history.

January 15, 2002: Bonds re-signs with Giants

On January 15, 2002, Barry Bonds re-signed with the San Francisco Giants for a five-year, $90 million contract.

2002: World Series Appearance

In 2002, Barry Bonds batted .322 with eight home runs, 16 RBIs, and 27 walks in the postseason, leading the Giants to the World Series, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels in seven games.

2003: Joins 500 Home Run/500 Stolen Base Club

In 2003, Barry Bonds played in 130 games and hit 45 home runs with a .341 batting average. On June 23, 2003, Bonds became the only member of the career 500 home run/500 stolen base club by stealing second base off pitcher Éric Gagné against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He scored the game-winning run later that inning.

2003: Withdrawal from MLBPA Licensing Agreement

In 2003, Barry Bonds withdrew from the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) licensing agreement, impacting the use of his name and likeness in licensed merchandise and some baseball video games.

2004: Record-Breaking Season and MVP Award

In 2004, Barry Bonds had one of his best seasons, hitting .362, breaking his own record with 232 walks, and slugging .812. He hit his 661st home run on April 13, passing Willie Mays on the career home run list, and his 700th on September 17. Bonds won his fourth consecutive and seventh overall MVP award. On July 4, he tied and passed Rickey Henderson's career bases on balls record with his 2,190th and 2,191st career walks.

2005: Return from injury

In 2005, Barry Bonds's salary was $22 million. After enduring a knee injury, multiple surgeries, and rehabilitation, Bonds was activated on September 12 and started in left field. He hit home runs in four consecutive games from September 18 to 21, finishing with a .286 average, five homers and 10 RBI in 14 games.

April 2006: Airing of "Bonds on Bonds"

In April 2006, ESPN aired episodes of "Bonds on Bonds", a reality TV series focusing on Barry Bonds' chase of home run records.

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May 2006: Further Episodes of "Bonds on Bonds"

In May 2006, ESPN continued to air episodes of "Bonds on Bonds", a reality TV series focused on Barry Bonds' chase of home run records.

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June 2006: "Bonds on Bonds" Canceled

In June 2006, the "Bonds on Bonds" reality TV series was canceled by ESPN due to creative control issues.

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2006: Alfonso Soriano's 40-40 Season

In 2006, Alfonso Soriano achieved a 40-40 season.

2006: Salary and Home Run Slump

In 2006, Barry Bonds earned $20 million, becoming baseball's all-time highest-paid player with approximately $172 million earned over his career. He had a slow start to the season, hitting under .200 for his first 10 games and experiencing his longest home run slump since 1998. On May 7, Bonds hit his 713th career home run, drawing within one of tying Babe Ruth.

2006: Ties Babe Ruth for second all-time

On May 20, 2006, Barry Bonds hit his 714th career home run against the Oakland Athletics, tying Babe Ruth for second all-time. Bonds mentioned that more attention could be focused on Albert Pujols.

2006: Surpasses Aaron for NL career home run record

On September 23, 2006, Barry Bonds surpassed Hank Aaron for the National League career home run record. Bonds hit his last home run of 2006 in that game. Bonds also recorded his lowest slugging percentage since 1991.

January 29, 2007: Giants finalize contract

On January 29, 2007, the Giants finalized a contract with Barry Bonds for the 2007 season.

August 2007: Aaron congratulates Bonds after record break

In August 2007, after Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record, Aaron congratulated Bonds through the media, including a video played on the scoreboard.

September 21, 2007: Giants Decline to Re-Sign Bonds

On September 21, 2007, the San Francisco Giants confirmed that they would not re-sign Barry Bonds for the 2008 season. The initial announcement was made on Bonds' website earlier that day.

September 26, 2007: Led Active Players in Multiple Stats

By September 26, 2007, Barry Bonds led all active Major League players in RBI (1,996), on-base percentage (.444), runs (2,227), games (2,986), extra-base hits (1,440), at-bats per home run (12.92), and total bases (5,976) at the time of his retirement.

October 29, 2007: Bonds Files for Free Agency

On October 29, 2007, Barry Bonds officially filed for free agency. His agent, Jeff Borris, anticipated widespread interest from every Major League team.

2007: Home Run 735

Early in the 2007 season, Barry Bonds hit home run 735 in the second game of the season at AT&T Park against Chris Young of the San Diego Padres. This home run put Bonds past the midway point between Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.

2007: Bonds' Final Season with the Giants

In 2007, Barry Bonds played his final season with the San Francisco Giants, after which he alleged MLB colluded to keep him from playing.

2007: Leaves San Francisco Giants

In 2007, Barry Bonds' tenure with the San Francisco Giants came to an end, concluding his MLB playing career.

2007: Bonds' 2007 Season Statistics

In the 2007 season, Barry Bonds, at age 43, concluded with a .276 batting average, 28 home runs, and 66 RBI in 126 games and 340 at-bats. He also led both leagues in walks with 132 in 2007.

2008: Unsigned in 2008 Season

Despite speculation, Barry Bonds was not signed by any team during the 2008 season.

November 13, 2009: Borris Says Bonds Not Retired

On November 13, 2009, Barry Bonds' agent, Jeff Borris, maintained that Bonds was still not retired from baseball.

2009: Unsigned in 2009 Season

Barry Bonds was not signed by any team during the 2009 season.

April 11, 2010: Bonds on McGwire and Retirement

On April 11, 2010, Barry Bonds expressed his pride in Mark McGwire for admitting his steroid use. Bonds also stated that it was not the time to retire, though he was not in shape to play immediately.