Kids usually grow up idolizing their parents, trying to follow in their footsteps. Barry Bonds was no different. His relationship with his father, Bobby Bonds—an MLB great—was complex, but that never stopped Barry from appreciating his dad’s impact. Even decades after Bobby’s passing in 2003, Barry keeps his memory alive. His latest Instagram stories are proof. So, how exactly did Bobby Bonds shape Barry’s legendary career?

Well, Barry Bonds is always vocal about how his father and another MLB legend, Willie Mays, shaped up his career. “My dad was the one who challenged me to a point where he expected perfection in practice,” Bonds said earlier. Yes, Barry Bonds’ record 762 career home runs and 2,558 career walks are all credited to his father and Mays.

The Asterisk never shied away from crediting his father’s tough-love approach for molding him into the player he became. So, on his father’s birth anniversary, paying tribute wasn’t just a choice—it was a given.

Barry shared photos of his father with a heartwarming caption, “I love you, dad,” written over it. The moments shared by Bonds offer a glimpse of his bonding with Bobby Bonds. These are what keep the legends alive in everyone’s heart! Now that Barry Bonds has had his career shaped by his father, it is time for him to guide the next generation. However, Barry Bonds has a different take on the current leading talent, Shohei Ohtani. While Ohtani is widely considered the face of MLB and is considered the powerhouse of talents, Bonds thinks otherwise. 

Bonds’ alternative take on the current ace

Shohei Ohtani is one of the few talents in MLB possessing two-way playing abilities. He is also the first one to have touched 50-50 in a season. However, Barry Bonds, the all-time home run leader in MLB, has not been entirely wowed by Ohtani. According to the 14x NL All-Star outfielder, the current crop of players do not encounter the same challenges that Bonds did in his playing days.

Bonds didn’t hold back, pointing out that today’s sluggers get extra time to celebrate their home runs—something he never got in his era.

“He’s not gonna steal two bases without someone decapitating his kneecap to slow him down. It was a different game back then,” he said, emphasizing how much baseball has evolved.

And while Bonds respects Ohtani’s jaw-dropping talent, he’s not convinced two-way play is sustainable. “Pitching again? That’s a lot of concentration. He might get hurt again. They’re asking a lot,” he warned. He’s got a point—balancing both pitching and hitting isn’t just rare; it’s brutal on the body.

Right now, Ohtani’s focus is solely on hitting, but the big question remains: Can he defy the odds and return to the mound without it cutting his career short?

Shaped by his father, Barry Bonds still has a lot to give back to the MLB community. Nothing better than leveraging his experience for the next batch. Do you think Bonds’ take on Ohtani is accurate?