The Barry Bonds hitting coach experiment in Miami is over after one season.
According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the Marlins are letting Bonds go after one season as hitting coach.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the decision was made by manager Don Mattingly. Craig Mish of SiriusXM indicated that there were problems with Bonds in the clubhouse, as he didn’t get along with Mattingly or the team’s star slugger, Giancarlo Stanton.
Bonds was called out this summer by Mattingly on a road trip. Commitment level dwindled.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) October 3, 2016
Stanton in particular "tuned out" BB who was openly critical of Stanton. For everyone to hear at times.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) October 3, 2016
The Marlins’ offensive numbers improved slightly under Bonds’s tutelage in 2016, but it sounds as if that wasn’t the issue. Of course, Bonds not getting along with people isn’t exactly a new thing, and one can only wonder what the Marlins expected to be different with him in a coaching role.
