While there is no doubt that Barry Bonds is a controversial figure, his professional model bats are still desirable as a result of his remarkable offensive exploits. Aside from occasionally swinging a less popular bat brand such as Cooper early on, Bonds used Louisville Slugger bats almost exclusively during the first half of his career. These bats feature the slugger’s name in block letters, with some possessing the last name only and others featuring his full name. Yet, by the late 1990s, Bonds started using other bat brands like the maple wood SAM bats, which he came to use predominantly. While the look and feel of his bats changed over time, Bonds was relatively consistent about his bat preparation habits for long stretches.
On earlier gamers, Bonds often placed a coating of pine tar, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, on the upper handle. Grip marks from his batting gloves are commonly found near the base of the handle. After transitioning to SAM bats, Bonds applied a very unique taping pattern to the handles of his bats for grip. He used both a crisscross method and solid spiral taping application during his career. In some cases, it was a mixture of both. In addition, a fairly high percentage of Bonds gamers display most of the ball contact marks on the left barrel, which means he often hit with the label facing downward.
You will find Bonds bats, from the early part of his career, with his uniform number marked on the knob, either "7" or "24" (Pittsburgh Pirates) or "25" (San Francisco Giants). On occasion, collectors may encounter early Bonds gamers with "Bonds" written on the knob in marker. Once Bonds started using SAM bats in the late 1990s, however, that practice came to an end. Starting around 1997 or so, Bonds provided game-used equipment directly to the hobby with his own hologram and authentication system (Barry Bonds Authenticated). While early bats from his career are harder to find, many collectors prefer the visual appeal of the SAM bats that Bonds made famous during his record-setting run.
Barry Lamar Bonds (July 24, 1964-) is the only member of the 500-500 clubs, having hits 500 or more home runs and stolen 500 or more bases during his career. Barry was one of the most loved and hated players in baseball history, but is arguably one of the greatest to ever play the game, holding numerous offensive records. The San Francisco Giants originally drafted Bonds in the second round of the 1982 MLB Draft, but they were unable to reach and agreement, so after choosing to attend college, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Barry with the sixth overall pick of the 1985 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Arizona State University. He was a Sporting News All-American with the Sun Devils in 1985 and he set an NCAA record, as a sophom*ore, when he collected seven consecutive hits in the College World Series. In Pittsburgh, Barry played left field next to centerfielder Andy Van Slyke and right fielder Bobby Bonilla making the trio one of the best defensive outfields in the National League that was equally dangerous at the plate. In 1990, his fifth season in the Major Leagues, Bonds earned his first of seven National League Most Valuable Player Awards (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001-2004).
Barry led the NL once in RBI and runs scored, twice in home runs including his record-setting 73 HR season in 2001, seven times in slugging percentage, ten times in on-base percentage and 12 times in walks. Barry played 22 seasons in the Majors with the Pirates (1986-1992) and the San Francisco Giants (1993-2007) and was a 14-time All-Star, eight-time NL Gold Glove winner, won 12 Silver Sluggers and three Hank Aaron Awards. He holds the all-time records for most MVP awards (7), most walks (2,558) and home runs (762). He scored 100 or more runs and drove in 100 or more RBI twelve times, amassed 120 or more hits 17 times and hit 25 or more HRs in 18 or his 22 seasons. Barry Bonds finished his career with 2,935 hits including 601 doubles and 762 home runs, 2,227 runs scored, 2,558 walks, 514 stolen bases and 1,996 RBI. He also posted a .984 fielding percentage with 5,637 putouts, 173 assists, 25 double plays and 97 errors in 5,907 chances. He helped lead the Pirates to three National League Championship Series, led San Francisco to the 2002 NLCS and World Series, falling to the Los Angeles of Anaheim in seven games.
- Legendary Lumber – A Look at Collecting Game-Used Bats
- All Bats are Not Created Equal: How Photos and Player Characteristics Come Into Play
- The Five Most Frequently Asked Questions about Professional Model Baseball Bats
- Bats Are in His Blood – An Interview with Bill Morrow
- A Treasure Trove of the Titans' Tools: Game-Used Bat Collector Scott Foraker on Amassing World-Class Lumber
- An Interview with Game-Used Bat Collector Ben Thornhill
- Barry Bonds - The Chaser and the Chased
- The Batting Cage: Pro Stock Bats
- The Batting Cage: Photo Matching – is it the Only Step in Authenticating?
- The Batting Cage: What Bats Have the Best Investment Value
- The Batting Cage: Bat Player Charts
- The Batting Cage: Why We Collect
- Fact or Fiction: The Babe Used Bats That Were Less Than 35-Inches
- The Batting Cage: Getting Started
- The Batting Cage: World Series Bats
- Provenance: How Much Reliance Should Be Placed on the Written Word?
- The Objective Subjectivity of Grading
- The Batting Cage: My All-Time Favorite Gamers
- Bats Not Appearing in Factory Records and Game-Used Promos - Do They Make the Grade?
- The Batting Cage: Collecting World Series and All Star Game Bats
- The Batting Cage: Getting Started ... With Our Column and Your Collection
- The Batting Cage: The Authentication Process
- A Closer Look at PSA Bat Experts Vince Malta and John Taube
