Marlins Will Not Retain Barry Bonds As Hitting Coach

The Marlins have decided to part ways with hitting coach Barry Bonds, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports. This was his first season in that role, which he shared with Frank Menechino.

Bonds’s time in Miami seemed to go rather smoothly from the outside, but it appears that the arrangement may not have worked out quite as hoped behind closed doors. Manager Don Mattingly “called out” Bonds at some point in the middle of the year, after which time the latter’s “commitment level dwindled,” per Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter).

The major league lifetime leader in home runs for a career and for a single season, Bonds came to Miami in hopes of reclaiming a place in the game. He had seemingly been frozen out of Major League Baseball after his career with the Giants wrapped up following the 2007 season. At the time, Bonds still represented a fearsome presence at the plate, but was viewed as a major symbol of the steroid era.

It appears as if owner Jeffrey Loria was the chief supporter of Bonds, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (Twitter links), but some players also viewed him favorably. Ultimately, it was Mattingly who seemingly drove the decision to make a change.

Bonds isn’t alone in departing the Marlins’ staff. Third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius have also been cut loose, per Andy Slater of 940 AM WINZ (via Twitter).