PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Barry Bonds will be a Hall of Famer this year. The former MVP named to the Pirates hall with his manager Jim Leyland and two-time Bucs World Series champion Manny Sanguillen.
Bonds has had a rocky relationship with the fan base ever since leaving as a free agent in 1993. The only Pirates two-time MVP was often booed upon his return to Pittsburgh. Selected by the Bucs as the sixth overall pick in the 1985 MLB Draft, Bonds was a huge part of the turnaround of the franchise winning the MVP in 1990 and 1992 and runner-up in 1991.
He also won a pair of Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Gloves in his seven seasons with the Pirates.
In 1,010 games with the Bucs, Bonds hit .275 with 220 doubles, 36 triples, 176 home runs, 556 RBI. The leftfielder had a .380 on-base percentage and .883 OPS while stealing 251 bases.
Jim Leyland
He will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 21 after managing 11 seasons with the Pirates (1986-96) with 851 wins (3rd most in Pirates history) and a trio of NL Eastern Division championships. He was the National League Manager of the Year in 1990 and 1992.
Manny Sanguillen
Sanguillen caught in a pair of Pirates championships in 1971 and 1979 and was an All-Star for that first World Series championship and also an All-Star in 1972 and 1975. In 1970 he hit .325 which was third in the National League. The Panama native finished with 1500 career hits and a .296 average with 57 career triples and 35 stolen bases as a catcher.
“As an organization, we are proud to add three significant members to the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame,” said Pirates Chairman, Bob Nutting in a statement by the Pirates. “Included in this year’s class is a two-time MVP award-winner in Barry, a two-time Manager-of-the-Year award-winner in Jim and a two-time World Series champion with the Pirates in Manny. All three inductees are very deserving of this prestigious recognition. We look forward to celebrating their induction with our fans and sharing their stories with generations to come.”
This year’s inductees will join the other 23 in the Pirates Hall of Fame before the Pirates-Reds game on Saturday, August 24.