Marlins fire Barry Bonds

The Marlins are letting go of Barry Bonds, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. This was Bonds’ first season in the role.

As a hitting coach, Bonds did not appear to make a huge difference in the team’s offense. In 2016, the Marlins hit a collective .263/.322/.394 with a .309 wOBA and a 91 wRC+. When you look at the 2015 stats, where the Marlins hit a collective .260/.310/.384 with a .302 wOBA and a 89 wRC+.

The individual numbers look different: 655 runs in 2016 compared to 613 in 2015; 128 home runs compared to 120. This then brings up the question of, how much did Bonds actually do as a hitting coach?, as opposed to, how much do people think he did as a hitting coach?

It’s no secret that, steroid or no steroids, Bonds was one of the best hitters in this generation of baseball. But, that doesn’t necessarily translate to the idea that he will be a good coach.

An article written by Jayson Stark for ESPN back in August touched upon the idea of Bonds being a coach, or even a manager:

[O]ne thing he has proved is that he's a really bright man who can teach hitting and command any room he wants to command. But if you asked me if he'll even decide he wants to be the hitting coach again in Miami next year, I'd say no. And if you asked me to imagine him chatting amiably with the media for 200 hours a season, which is a job requirement of modern managing, I'd say hell no.

"Barry could manage," said one exec. "But is he going to want to manage and do everything he has to do to manage? I'm amazed he's still the batting coach there, to be honest."

Maybe, maybe, Bonds has the skills to teach young hitters how to mash bombs, or how to recognize pitches better. But that question of whether or not Bonds has the capacity to be a coach or a manager for more than a season, who knows? You also bring in this high expectation of, here’s the home run king; let’s see how he can turn young hitters into The Next Big Thing. And that’s an expectation that’s hard to live up to.