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Giants 'Remain Hopeful' Barry Bonds Will Be Elected to HOF After Snub on 2022 Ballot
January 26, 2022
In his 10th and final year on the ballot, former Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds did not receive enough votes needed to earn induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
After the news broke, the Giants posted a social media message expressing disappointment in Bonds not getting voted in during his final year of eligibility. However, San Francisco still had some optimism, as Bonds still has the chance to qualify through a veteran committee.
"We remain hopeful that he will gain election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the next phase of the voting process," the team's message stated.
Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz was the only person to be elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers' Association of America in the class of 2022. Ortiz received 77.9 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot. Players need at least 75 percent of the vote to receive induction.
Bonds was on just 66 percent of the writers' ballots. Despite never failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs, his reputation was damaged by allegations of steroid use during his career in the 2007 Mitchell Report.
Another notable omission from the Hall of Fame was seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, who received 65.2 percent of the vote in his final year of eligibility. Clemens had also been linked to steroid use despite denying that he's ever used PEDs.
The next avenue for Bonds and Clemens to be elected to the Hall of Fame will be through the Era Committees system.
A seven-time National League MVP, Bonds was named to the All-Star Game 14 times in his 22-year career. He also earned 12 Silver Sluggers and eight Gold Gloves.
Bonds remains Major League Baseball's career home run leader (762) and its single-season leader (73, in 2001). He also set a single-season record with a 1.422 OPS in 2004.
Bonds made his major league debut in 1986 and spent his first seven seasons with the Pirates, leading Pittsburgh to three straight NL East titles. He joined the Giants in free agency after the 1992 season and helped lead the team to the 2002 NL pennant.