Barry Bonds

Early life

Barry Lamar Bonds was born on July 24, 1964, in Riverside, California, to Patricia (née Howard) and then-future Major League right fielder Bobby Bonds. Bonds grew up on the San Francisco Peninsula in San Carlos, California, where he attended Arundel Elementary School. His father spent the first seven seasons of his Major League career with the San Francisco Giants, where he played with future National Baseball Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Gaylord Perry, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal. His father Bobby played in right field and with Mays playing in center field, the Giants had a venerable defensive tandem that worked together to cover a lot of ground on the field, and Mays became Barry's godfather. As a child, Bonds would spend time in the Giants home clubhouse and dugout at Candlestick Park and had to choke up on his baseball bat that he carried around because it was too heavy for him at the time, something that he would stick with for the rest of his life. Before Arundel, he attended the Carey School, which overlooks Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, where he would also later attend. He excelled in baseball, basketball, and football. He played on the junior varsity team during his freshman year and on the varsity team for the remainder of his high school career. Frustrated with Bonds’ progress in junior biology, his teacher told him that baseball will never get him anywhere.

Bonds garnered a .467 batting average his senior year, and was named prep All-American. The Giants drafted Bonds in the second round (39th overall) of the 1982 MLB draft as a high school senior, but the Giants and Bonds were unable to agree on contract terms when Tom Haller's maximum offer was $70,000 ($230,000 today) and Bonds's minimum to go pro was $75,000, and Mays helped advise Bonds to instead attend college. Bonds, along with late Major League Baseball pitcher Danny Frisella, were inducted into the Serra Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

College career

Bonds attended Arizona State University, where his distant cousin and fellow university Hall of Fame right fielder Reggie Jackson attended and played as well. Bonds hit .347 with 45 home runs and 175 runs batted in (RBI). In 1984, he batted .360 and had 30 stolen bases. In 1985, he hit 23 home runs with 66 RBI and a .368 batting average. He was a Sporting News All-American selection that year. He tied the NCAA record with seven consecutive hits in the College World Series as a sophomore and was named to All-Time College World Series Team in 1996.

Bonds was not well-liked by his Sun Devil teammates, in part because in the words of longtime coach Jim Brock, he was "rude, inconsiderate and self-centered". When he was suspended for breaking curfew, the other players initially voted against his return even though he was easily the best player on the team. He graduated from Arizona State in 1986 with a degree in criminology. He was named ASU On Deck Circle Most Valuable Player; other winners include Dustin Pedroia, Willie Bloomquist, Paul Lo Duca, and Ike Davis. During college, he played part of one summer in the amateur Alaska Baseball League with the Alaska Goldpanners. Bonds was inducted into the Sun Devil Hall of Fame 1999 Class.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Bonds with the sixth overall pick of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. He joined the Prince William Pirates of the Carolina League and was named July 1985 Player of the Month for the league. In 1986, he hit .311 with seven home runs and 37 RBI in 44 games for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.

Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–1992)

Before Bonds made it to the Major Leagues in Pittsburgh, Pirate fan attendance was low, with 1984 and 1985 attendance below 10,000 per game for the 81-game home schedule, with attendance woes being a combination of the economic problems of Western Pennsylvania in the early 1980s as well as the Pittsburgh drug trials that directly affected the Pirates going from World Series champions to nearly relocating to Denver, Colorado in only six years. On May 30, 1986, at Three Rivers Stadium, Bonds made his Major League debut, starting in center field and wearing jersey number 7. He finished the game 0-for-5 with a walk in a 6–4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

On June 4, at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, in a 12–3 win over the Atlanta Braves, Bonds hit his first career Major League home run, an opposite field solo home run with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. Leading 10–2, Bonds hit a fly ball well off of pitcher Craig McMurtry to deep left field and over Gerald Perry and the fence, making the score 11–2. Bonds hit his first home run in the exact same part of the exact same ballpark where Hank Aaron hit his 715th to break the all-time career home run record, formerly held by Babe Ruth. Bonds went four for five along with the home run as well as a double and four runs batted in. "Barry Bonds remember that name you'll be hearing a lot of it," the announcer said. Looking back on the play twenty years later, McMurtry said "It was a fastball, down and away. He took it the other way. I don't know how he hit it." In 1986, Bonds led National League (NL) rookies with 16 home runs, 48 RBI, 36 stolen bases, and 65 walks, but he finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting. He played center field in 1986, but switched to left field with the arrival of centerfielder Andy Van Slyke in 1987.

The Pirates experienced a surge in fan enthusiasm with Bonds on the team and set the club attendance record of 52,119 in the 1987 home opener. In his early years, Bonds batted as the leadoff hitter. On May 30 at Three Rivers Stadium, against the Cincinnati Reds, after starting the season as the everyday center fielder, Bonds switched and started his first career game in left field. With Van Slyke also in the outfield, the Pirates had a venerable defensive tandem that worked together to cover a lot of ground on the field, although they were not close off of it. That year, Bonds hit .261 with 25 home runs, along with 32 stolen bases and 59 RBI in 150 games.

The Pirates broke the record set the previous year with 54,089 attending the home opener. Bonds improved in 1988, hitting .283 with 24 home runs and 58 RBI in 144 games.

San Francisco Giants (1993–2007)

Bonds became an unrestricted free agent on October 26, 1992. During this time, he was contacted by multiple teams, including the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants. On December 6, 1992, news broke that Bonds would leave the Pirates to sign a lucrative free agent contract worth a then-record $43.75 million (equivalent to $97.5 million in 2025) over six years with the Giants, with whom his father had spent the first seven years of his career, and with whom his godfather Willie Mays played 21 of his 22 Major League seasons. The deal was at that time the largest in baseball history, in terms of both total value and average annual salary.

Once he signed with the Giants, Bonds intended to wear the number 24, his number during most of his stay with the Pirates, but it was Willie Mays's old number, which the Giants had retired. After receiving Mays's blessing, the Giants were willing to unretire it until the public commotion from fans and media became too much. To honor his father, Bonds switched his jersey number to 25, as it had been Bobby's number in San Francisco. On December 8, 1992, the deal was finalized. In an emotional press conference announcing the signing, Bonds described joining the Giants as going "home" and following in the footsteps of his father and godfather as "unbelievable" and "...like a boyhood dream that comes true for me." His father joined the team as a coach in the same year.

On April 18, 1993, at Candlestick Park, in a 13–12 win over the Atlanta Braves, Bonds had four base hits and a stolen base, with his third double of the game in the bottom of the ninth inning being his 1,000th career Major League hit. On May 12, 1993, at Mile High Stadium, in a 8–2 win over the Colorado Rockies, both Bonds and his father, along with Rockies outfielder Jerald Clark and coach Ron Hassey, were ejected for their role in an on-field fight. On July 8, 1993, at Veterans Stadium, in a 13–2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, Bonds had three base hits, two home runs, and six runs batted in. Leading 11–2 and leading off the top of the seventh inning, Bonds bolted a line drive on the first pitch he saw from pitcher José DeLeón, a low breaking ball, to deep right-center field and into the stands for his 200th career Major League home run, making the score 12–2.

Bonds hit .336 in 1993, leading the NL with 46 home runs and 123 RBI in 159 games en route to his second consecutive NL MVP Award, and third one overall in the last four seasons. Bonds and Bryce Harper are the only MLB players to win a regular season MVP with two different teams before the age of 30. "1993 was probably the most dominant team I've ever been on," Bonds said. The Giants won 103 games, a then-San Francisco Era record that would last until 2021, when that year's team broke the all-time single season franchise record for wins by one with 107. The Atlanta Braves won 104 in what some call the last great pennant race (because the wild card was instituted the year after). "One of us has to lose. Unfortunately it's always us, or me," Bonds said.

Career overall

Post-playing career

On October 29, 2007, Bonds officially filed for free agency. His agent Jeff Borris said: "I'm anticipating widespread interest from every Major League team." There was much speculation before the 2008 season about where Bonds might play. However, no one signed him during the 2008 or 2009 seasons. The 2008 Giants finished in fourth place in the NL West with a 72–90 win–loss record and the 2009 Giants finished in third place in the division with an 88–74 record. Many teams could have used his services. If he had returned to MLB, Bonds would have been within close range of many significant career batting milestones and records. He needed only just 14 games played and 65 hits to reach 3,000, 394 plate appearances to reach 13,000, 153 at bats to reach 10,000, 38 home runs to reach 800, four runs batted in to reach 2,000, 24 total bases to reach 6,000, 60 extra base hits to reach 1,500, and 12 intentional walks to reach 700. On August 7, 2017, which marked the 10-year anniversary of Bonds hitting his record-breaking 756th career Major League home run, Bonds told The Associated Press that he wished to have played one more year and that he believes he would have reached 800 or come very close. He would have needed 69 runs scored to move past Rickey Henderson as the all-time MLB career runs scored leader, 38 extra base hits to move past Hank Aaron as the all-time MLB career extra base hits leader, and 107 home runs to move past Sadaharu Oh as the world record holder for professional career home runs hit during the regular season.

As of November 13, 2009, Borris maintained that Bonds was still not retired. On December 9, however, Borris told the San Francisco Chronicle that Bonds had played his last Major League game. Bonds announced on April 11, 2010, that he was proud of McGwire for admitting his use of steroids. Bonds said that it was not the time to retire, but he noted that he was not in shape to play immediately if an interested club called him. The Giants won the World Series two times in three years in 2010 and 2012. In May 2015, Bonds filed a grievance against Major League Baseball through the players' union arguing that the league colluded in not signing him after the 2007 season. In August 2015, an arbitrator ruled in favor of MLB and against Bonds in his collusion case.

On December 15, 2011, Bonds was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation and 250 hours of community service, for an obstruction of justice conviction stemming from a grand jury appearance in 2003. However, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston then delayed the sentence pending an appeal. In 2013 his conviction was upheld on appeal by a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. However, the full court later granted Bonds an en banc rehearing, and on April 22, 2015, an 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit voted 10–1 that his testimony was not obstruction.

National Baseball Hall of Fame consideration

In his 10 years of eligibility for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Bonds fell short of the 75% of the votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) needed for induction. His vote percentages from 2013 through 2022 were: 36.2%, 34.7%, 36.8%, 44.3%, 53.8%, 56.4%, 59.1%, 60.7%, 61.8% and 66%. He appeared on 260 of 394 ballots in his last year. Despite falling off the ballot, Bonds remained eligible through the Hall of Fame's Today's Game Committee, a committee of 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and media members, hence the nickname of "Veterans Committee", who consider retired players who lost ballot eligibility while still having made notable contributions to baseball from 1986 to 2016. The vote was held in December 2022; twelve of the sixteen votes were required for induction, but Bonds received fewer than four.

Coaching career

Miami Marlins (2016)

On December 4, 2015, he was announced as the new hitting coach for the Miami Marlins, but was relieved of his duties on October 3, 2016, after just one season. He followed up with a public thank-you letter, acknowledging owner Jeffrey Loria, and the opportunity as "one of the most rewarding experiences of my baseball career."

Public persona

During his playing career, Bonds was frequently described as a difficult person, surly, standoffish and ungrateful. In a 2016 interview with Terence Moore, he said he regretted the persona he had created. He attributed it to a response to the pressure he felt to perform as a young player with the Pirates. Remarked Bonds,

Hell, I kick myself now, because I'm getting great press [since being more cooperative], and I could have had a trillion more endorsements, but that wasn't my driving force. The problem was, when I tried to give in a little bit, it never got better. I knew I was in the midst of that image, and I determined at that point that I was never going to get out of it.

So I just said, 'I've created this fire around me, and I'm stuck in it, so I might as well live with the flames.'

Bonds reports that for a short time during his playing days with the Giants he changed his demeanor at the behest of a group of teammates, smiling much more frequently and engaging more with others with a pleasant attitude. Shortly thereafter, Bonds says, in the midst of a slump, the same group of teammates pleaded that he revert, having seemingly lost his competitive edge, and causing the team to lose more. In spite of his protest that they would not appreciate the results, his teammates insisted. Bonds says he complied, maintaining that familiar standoffish edge the rest of his playing career.

On May 9, 1996, Bonds shoved USA Today journalist Rod Beaton in the team's clubhouse. As Beaton was waiting to interview Robby Thompson one hour before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bonds told Beaton to leave. The reporter replied that Major League Baseball rules allowed him 15 minutes more to talk with players. Bonds waved a finger in Beaton's face and shoved him in the chest, after which members of the team's coaching staff and front office interceded. Bonds and Beaton spoke again after the game. Beaton later said, "He accused me of having an attitude" and "I told him he went over the line by shoving me, but there was no apology." Bonds felt that the incident was overblown and said that, "We don't have a problem. We like each other. It was a big joke. He just got whacked out." Beaton filed no formal complaint about the incident, but USA Today filed a grievance with the team.

Controversies

BALCO scandal

Since 2003, Bonds has been a key figure in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) scandal. BALCO marketed tetrahydrogestrinone ("the Clear"), a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid that was undetectable by doping tests. He was under investigation by a federal grand jury regarding his testimony in the BALCO case, and was indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges on November 15, 2007. The indictment alleges that Bonds lied while under oath about his alleged use of steroids.

In 2003, BALCO's Greg Anderson, Bonds's trainer since 2000, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and charged with supplying anabolic steroids to athletes, including a number of baseball players. This led to speculation that Bonds had used performance-enhancing drugs during a time when there was no mandatory testing in Major League Baseball. Bonds declared his innocence, attributing his changed physique and increased power to a strict regimen of bodybuilding, diet, and legitimate supplements.

During grand jury testimony on December 4, 2003, Bonds said that he used a clear substance and a cream that he received from his personal strength trainer, Greg Anderson, who told him they were the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil and a rubbing balm for arthritis. Later reports on Bonds's leaked grand-jury testimony contend that he admitted to unknowingly using "the cream" and "the clear".

On February 22, 2005, during a press conference about the scandal, Bonds addressed the assembled reporters. "All you guys lied," Bonds said. "All of y'all in a story or whatever have lied. Should you have an asterisk behind your name? All of you lied. All of you have said something wrong. All of you have dirt. All of you. When your closet's clean, then come clean somebody else's. But clean yours first, okay?" In July 2005, all four defendants in the BALCO steroid scandal trial, including Anderson, struck deals with federal prosecutors that did not require them to reveal names of athletes who might have used banned drugs.

On November 15, 2007, a federal grand jury indicted Bonds on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice as it relates to the government investigation of BALCO. He was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. On February 14, 2008, a typo in court papers filed by Federal prosecutors erroneously alleged that Bonds tested positive for steroids in November 2001, a month after hitting his record 73rd home run. The reference was meant instead to refer to a November 2000 test that had already been disclosed and previously reported. The typo sparked a brief media frenzy. His trial for obstruction of justice was to have begun on March 2, 2009, but jury selection was postponed by emergency appeals by the prosecution. The trial commenced on March 21, 2011, with Judge Susan Illston presiding. He was convicted on April 13, 2011, on the obstruction of justice charge, for giving an evasive answer to a question under oath. On December 15, 2011, Bonds was found guilty for an obstruction of justice conviction stemming from a grand jury appearance in 2003. However, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston then delayed the sentence pending his appeal. He was sentenced to 30 days of house arrest. He also received two years of probation and was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service. Bonds appealed his conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In 2013, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed his conviction, but in 2015 his appeal was reheard by the full court en banc, which voted 10–1 to overturn his conviction.

Players' union licensing withdrawal

In 2003, Bonds withdrew from the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) licensing agreement because he felt independent marketing deals would be more lucrative for him. Bonds is the first player in the 30-year history of the licensing program not to sign. Because of this withdrawal, his name and likeness are not usable in any merchandise licensed by the MLBPA. In order to use his name or likeness, a company must deal directly with Bonds. For this reason, he does not appear in some baseball video games, forcing game-makers to create generic athletes as replacements. These generic video games replacements tended to be white and sometimes had different handedness which was done likely to avoid potential player likeness lawsuits from Bonds.

Game of Shadows

In March 2006 the book Game of Shadows, written by Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada, was released amid a storm of media publicity including the cover of Sports Illustrated. Initially small excerpts of the book were released by the authors in the issue of Sports Illustrated. The book alleges Bonds used stanozolol and a host of other steroids, and is perhaps most responsible for the change in public opinion regarding Bonds's steroid use. The book contained excerpts of grand jury testimony that is supposed to be sealed and confidential by law. The authors have been steadfast in their refusal to divulge their sources and at one point faced jail time. On February 14, 2007, Troy Ellerman, one of Victor Conte's lawyers, pleaded guilty to leaking grand jury testimony. Through the plea agreement, he would spend two and a half years in jail.

Love Me, Hate Me

In May 2006, former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman released a revealing biography of Bonds entitled Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Anti-Hero. The book also contained many allegations against Bonds. The book, which describes Bonds as a polarizing, insufferable braggart with a legendary ego and staggering talent, relied on over five hundred interviews, none with Bonds himself.

Bonds on Bonds

In April 2006 and May 2006, ESPN aired a few episodes of a 10-part reality TV (unscripted, documentary-style) series starring Bonds. The show, titled Bonds on Bonds, focused on Bonds's chase of Babe Ruth's and Hank Aaron's home run records. Some felt the show should be put on hiatus until baseball investigated Bonds's steroid use allegations. The series was canceled in June 2006, ESPN and producer Tollin/Robbins Productions citing "creative control" issues with Bonds and his representatives.

Personal life

Several of Bonds' family and extended family members have been involved in athletics as either a career or a notable pastime. Bonds has a younger brother, Bobby Jr., who was also a professional baseball player. His paternal aunt, Rosie Bonds, is a former American record holder in the 80 meter hurdles, and competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics. In addition, he is a distant cousin of National Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Reggie Jackson.

Bonds met Susann ("Sun") Margreth Branco, the mother of his first two children (Nikolai and Shikari), in Montreal, Quebec, in August 1987. They eloped to Las Vegas February 5, 1988. The couple separated in June 1994, divorced in December 1994, and had their marriage annulled in 1997 by the Catholic Church. The divorce was a media affair because Bonds had his Swedish spouse sign a prenuptial agreement in which she "waived her right to a share of his present and future earnings" and which was upheld. Bonds had been providing his wife $20,000/month in child support and $10,000 in spousal support at the time of the ruling. During the hearings to set permanent support levels, allegations of abuse came from both parties. The trial dragged on for months, but Bonds was awarded both houses and reduced support. On August 21, 2000, the Supreme Court of California, in an opinion signed by Chief Justice Ronald M. George, unanimously held that "substantial evidence supports the determination of the trial court that the [prenuptial] agreement in the present case was entered into voluntarily." In reaction to the decision, significant changes in California law relating to the validity and enforceability of premarital agreements soon followed. In 2010, Bonds's son Nikolai, who served as a Giants batboy during his father's years playing in San Francisco and always sat next to his dad in the dugout during games, was charged with five misdemeanors resulting from a confrontation with his mother, Sun Bonds, who was granted a restraining order against Nikolai.

In 1994, Bonds and Kimberly Bell, a graphic designer, started a relationship, which lasted through May 2003. Bonds purchased a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, for Kimberly. On January 10, 1998, Bonds married his second wife, Liz Watson, at the San Francisco Ritz-Carlton Hotel in front of 240 guests. The couple lived in Los Altos Hills, California, with their daughter Aisha during their ten-and-a-half years of marriage before Watson filed for legal separation on June 9, 2009, citing irreconcilable differences. On July 21, 2009, just six weeks later, Watson announced that she was withdrawing her Legal Separation action. The couple were reconciled for seven months before Watson formally filed for divorce in Los Angeles on February 26, 2010. On June 6, 2011, Bonds and Watson filed a legal agreement not to take the divorce to trial and instead settle it in an "uncontested manner," agreeing to end the marriage privately at an unspecified later date without further court involvement.

Philanthropy

Bonds' foundation is the Barry Bonds Family Foundation. Since 1993, it has helped uplift youth through education, sports, and support for children in hospitals.

Legacy

Recorded between 2005 and 2007, American rapper, songwriter, and record producer Kanye West released his third studio album Graduation on September 11, 2007. The seventh track, a song titled "Barry Bonds", is named after the slugger and features Lil Wayne.

Career distinctions

Besides holding Major League career records in home runs (762), walks (2,558), and intentional walks (688), at the time of his retirement, Bonds also led all active 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). He is 2nd in doubles (601), slugging percentage (.607), stolen bases (514), at-bats (9,847), and hits (2,935), 6th in triples (77), 8th in sacrifice flies (91), and 9th in strikeouts (1,539), through September 26, 2007.

Bonds is the lone member of the 500–500 club, which means he has hit at least 500 home runs (762) and stolen at least 500 bases (514); no other player has even 400 of both. He is also one of only six baseball players all-time to be in the 40–40 club (1996), which means he hit 40 home runs (42) and stole 40 bases (40) in the same season; the other members are José Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Alfonso Soriano, Ronald Acuña Jr, and Shohei Ohtani.

Records held

Home runs in a single season (73), 2001

Home runs in a career (762)

Home runs in a career on the road (383)

Home runs after turning 40 years old (74)

Home runs in the year he turned 43 years old (28)

Consecutive seasons with 30 or more home runs (13), 1992–2004

Slugging percentage in a World Series (1.294), 2002

Consecutive seasons with .600 slugging percentage or higher (8), 1998–2005

On-base percentage in a single season (.609), 2004

Walks in a career (2,558)

Walks in a single season (232), 2004

Consecutive games with a walk (18)

Intentional walks in a career (688)

Intentional walks in a single season (120), 2004

Consecutive games with an intentional walk (6)

MVP awards (7)

Consecutive MVP awards (4), 2001–2004

National League Player of the Month selections (13)

Oldest player to win the National League batting title for the first time, batting .370 at age 38 in 2002

Records shared

Home runs in a career hit at home (379 - tied with Hank Aaron)

Consecutive plate appearances with a walk (7)

Consecutive plate appearances reaching base, National League modern era (15)

Tied with his father, Bobby, for most seasons with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases (5); they are the only father-son members of the 30–30 club

Other accomplishments

Awards and distinctions

Five-time SF Giants Player of the Year (1998, 2001–2004)

Three-time NL Hank Aaron Award winner (2001–02, 2004)

Listed at #6 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranked active player, in 2005.

Named a finalist to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999, but not elected to the team in the fan balloting.

Rating of 340 on Bill James' Hall of Fame monitor (100 is a good HOF candidate); 10th among all hitters, second-highest among hitters not yet in the Hall of Fame.

The fourth player to have two or more seasons with a slugging percentage over .800 (.863 in 2001 and .812 in 2004). The others are Babe Ruth (.847 in 1920 and .846 in 1921), Mule Suttles (.877 in 1926 and .817 in 1930), and Josh Gibson (.974 in 1937, .8675 in 1943, and .8235 in 1939).

Became the first player in history with more times on base (376) than official at-bats (373) in 2004. This was due to the record number of walks, which count as a time on base and as a plate appearance, but not an at-bat. He had 135 hits, 232 walks, and 9 hit-by-pitches for the 376 number.

Tenth all-time in plate appearances with 12,606. He is the only player in the top 10 of this category to not obtain 3,000 hits and just one of two players with as many as 12,000 plate appearances to not do so (the other being Omar Vizquel).

With his father Bobby (332, 461), leads all father-son combinations in combined home runs (1,094) and stolen bases (975), respectively through September 26, 2007.

Played minor league baseball in both Alaska and Hawaii. In 1983, he played for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in the Alaska Baseball League, and in 1986, he played for the Hawaii Islanders in the Pacific Coast League.