Pittsburgh Pirates (1986–92)
Bonds was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (6th overall) of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft. Bonds joined the Prince William Pirates of the Carolina League and was named July 1985 Player of the Month for the league. In 1986, Bonds hit .311 in 44 games for the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League, and he made his major league debut on May 30.
In 1986, Barry Bonds finished 6th in Rookie of the Year voting. Barry Bonds homeruns total was 16 and Bonds stole 36 bases. The Barry Bonds homeruns total for his second season was 25, while the Barry Bonds homeruns hit in his third season was 24, along with 32 stolen bases and 59 RBIs. Barry Bonds homeruns for the 1989 campaign tapered off to 19 with 58 runs batted in.
Bonds won his first MVP award in 1990, hitting .301. The Barry Bonds homeruns total for his first MVP year was 33 with 114 RBIs. His 52 stolen bases were third in the league. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. In 1991, Bonds also put up great numbers, hitting 25 homers and driving in 116 runs, and obtained another Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He finished second to the Atlanta Braves' Terry Pendleton (the NL batting champion) in the MVP voting.
The next season, Bonds won his second MVP award. He dominated the NL, hitting .311. The Barry Bonds homeruns total for this year reached 34 with 103 RBIs, and propelling the Pirates to their third straight National League East division title. However, Pittsburgh was defeated by the Braves in a seven-game National League Championship Series. Bonds was involved in the final play of Game 7 of the NLCS, where he fielded a base hit by Francisco Cabrera and attempted to throw out Sid Bream at home plate. But the throw to Pirates catcher Mike LaValliere was late and Bream scored the winning run. For the third consecutive season, the NL East Champion Pirates were denied a trip to the World Series.
