Despite being one of the greatest players in baseball history, Barry Bonds is not particularly close to making the Hall of Fame. This, of course, is a consequence of his suspected/alleged PED use during his playing career. In contrast, Ken Griffey Jr. came darn close to being unanimously elected in his first year on the BBWAA ballot.
Since the two legends had roughly overlapping careers, it follows that someone would ask Griffey about Bonds. From the AP, here's Griffey when asked on Sunday whether Bonds, the new Marlins hitting coach and former Giants and Pirates star, deserves a plaque in Cooperstown:
"Yeah. I think that overall, when you look what people have done, yeah. It's not my vote, so I can't vote for him. But if you look at what he's done, those numbers speak for themselves."
OK, so it's perhaps not the most ringing endorsement imaginable, but Griffey does indeed say Bonds belongs. For what it's worth, Bonds, now a hitting coach with the Marlins, would surely agree. As for that possibility, Bonds has yet to reach 50 percent support on the BBWAA ballot (at least 75 percent is needed for election), but he has six years of eligibility remaining.
Developing!
