Barry Bonnell

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Robert Barry Bonnell (born October 27, 1953 in Mariemont, Ohio) is a former outfielder and third baseman in Major League Baseball.

He was a star athlete at Milford High School near Cincinnati, Ohio, where he played both varsity baseball and basketball on championship teams. Following high school graduation in 1971, he attended the Ohio State University on an full athletic scholarship where he played both baseball and basketball. He married his high school sweetheart and left college during his senior year to play Major League Baseball. He was the first pick in the 1975 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

During his 10-year Major League career, Bonnell played for the Atlanta Braves of the National League, and for the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners of the American League. His Major League debut with the Braves was in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 4, 1977.

Bonnell was seen as a platoon outfielder, used principally against opposing pitchers who were left-handed. He had a good throwing arm, cutting off base runners who were trying to advance. When he went to Toronto in 1980, he began to appear as a designated hitter. His best year was 1983, when he hit .318 (10 HR, 54 RBI and 10 SB) for the Bluejays. In 1984, when he went to Seattle, he was moved to playing first base.

A devout Mormon, Bonnell introduced his Braves teammate, superstar Dale Murphy, to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. An avid aviator and private pilot his entire adult life, Bonnell became a commercial airline pilot following his professional baseball career.

Career Hitting[1]
G AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS
976 3,068 833 143 24 56 363 355 64 229 387 .272 .323 .389 .712

[edit] References

  1. ^ Baseball-Reference.com.

[edit] External links

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Toronto Blue Jays Starting center fielders

Gary Woods (1977) • Rick Bosetti (1978-79) • Barry Bonnell (1980) • Lloyd Moseby (1981-89) • Mookie Wilson (1990) • Devon White (1991-95) • Otis Nixon (1996-97) • José Cruz, Jr. (1998-2001) • Vernon Wells (2002–present)