Miami Marlins considering Barry Bonds as hitting coach

Barry Bonds may be the next hitting coach for the Miami Marlins, who are looking to build around their new manager.

Former San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds may be taking on a baseball coaching role, as he is being considered for the Miami Marlins’ hitting coach job. Bonds has been one of the most controversial baseball players to ever take the field, but he is also one of the greatest players ever and leads all-time in home runs with 762. CBS Sports confirmed that the Marlins have considered Bonds as a candidate for the hitting coach job.

The Marlins are looking to make a fresh start after hiring Don Mattingly as their new manager. They finished with a disappointing 71-91 record after being considered as a playoff dark horse by some before the season. The Marlins have a couple of solid pieces in their lineup. Second baseman Dee Gordon was excellent at getting on base while outfielder Giancarlo Stanton remains one of the most powerful hitters in baseball. However, they can still improve their hitting as they ranked 29th in the majors with 613 runs scored. The Marlins’ lineup problems were further exposed after Stanton went down with a hand injury that kept him out for a couple of months.

Bonds may be the perfect solution for the Marlins’ hitting problems. He has already served as a special spring instructor for the Giants. Bonds won seven National League MVP awards while making 14 All-Star Game trips in his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Giants. He hit 73 home runs in 2001 to break the single-season record, and he won eight Gold Gloves for his excellent defense.

His hiring is sure to make plenty of noise for many other reasons though, as he was discovered to have used steroids throughout his career. Nonetheless, the Marlins are looking for any sort of spark they can get since they have missed the playoffs every year since their 2003 World Series run.