August 7, 2017 marked the 10-year anniversary of former Giants slugger Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron for the all-time home run lead at 763. Speaking to the Associated Press, Bonds said that if he had kept playing after 2007, he believes he could have reached 800 homers or at least come close to it.
Bonds hit .276/.480/.565 with 28 home runs and 66 RBI in 477 plate appearances in ’07 at the age of 42. He did not sign the next season despite stating publicly that he would play for the major league minimum salary. Bonds retired with 762 home runs. Given how he played in his final year, it’s hard to disagree with his statement.
Bonds said it “stung” to stop playing baseball after 2007. He also said that he was told he wasn’t returning to the Giants “and that was it.”
In 2015, an arbitrator for Major League Baseball ruled against Bonds, who filed a collusion grievance against the league. It’s fishy that a player, even a 42-year-old, came off a 1.045 OPS season willing to play for the league minimum and went unsigned. Bonds, of course, was also wrapped up in performance-enhancing drug allegations and was not the most popular clubhouse presence.
