"Barry Bonds added 2, 3 years on my career" - Giants great reveals his first interaction with MLB legend

A fourteen-time All-Star and seven-time NL MVP, Barry Bonds is considered by many as one of the best hitters of all time. Beginning his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bonds went on to spend fifteen seasons with the San Francisco Giants.

Featuring on Sunday's episode of "Splash Hit Territory", fellow Giants great J.T. Snow recalled his first interaction with Bonds.

"We had the same agent, so I knew Barry off the field," Snow said. [27:59] "The first time I ever met Barry, we were at a fundraiser and he came up, we talked and he said 'you provide the defense and I'll provide the offense.' I said I could swing it too, you know, I just got done hitting like 24 (homers) and driving in 100 runs. He was like 'just worry about the defense.'

Further, Snow revealed how learned a lot about hitting from Barry Bonds, so much so that it helped him extend his career by a few years.

"He was the smartest hitter I ever played with, and you got to tap into him. He didn't come out and just volunteer (for) stuff, but when you got him on a plane, or you got him in the dugout, he was great. He really added about 2,3 years on my career, because I adjusted (my hitting approach) later in my career," Snow added.

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Despite being honored by both the Pirates and the Giants, Barry Bonds failed to make it to Cooperstown

Since calling time on his big league career, Barry Bonds has been honored by both franchises he represented during his career, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants inducting him into their respective Halls of Fame.

For someone that boasts the kind of stats and accolades Bonds does, making it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on the first go would usually be a foregone conclusion.

MLB: APR 08 Marlins at Giants - Source: Getty

However, alleged ties to performance enhancing drugs proved to be a significant deterrent for Bonds' aspirations of making it to Cooperstown. As a result, the slugger did not recieve the required 75% of the vote-share during his ten years of eligibility.

Naturally, this remains quite a controversial topic amongst fans and experts alike.