Giants Rafael Devers sends Barry Bonds message: ‘I really don’t feel comfortable’

Peter Chawaga

Giants Rafael Devers sends Barry Bonds message: ‘I really don’t feel comfortable’ image

The San Francisco Giants have already acquired the best hitter likely to be dealt this season by landing Rafael Devers in a shocking trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Since 2021, Devers has earned four All-Star nods and has hit at least 15 homers with a .500 slugging percentage or better in every season. His left-handed prowess from the plate is so strong that it’s drawn comparisons to a legendary Giants slugger, Barry Bonds.

Bonds was in attendance for Devers’ introductory press conference with the Giants and the team can hope that he will offer their newest addition some of his wisdom as it makes a push for the playoffs. But Devers had a surprising reaction to the chance to learn from Bonds.

“I haven’t had the courage to talk to him,” Devers told Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I really don’t feel comfortable. I know that eventually, I will go out there and talk to him.”

Given Devers’ own celebrity and his willingness to say whatever he feels to reporters in recent months, it’s a bit of a shock that he’s been tongue tied around Bonds so far. The hesitance could be from Bonds’ other-worldly hitting success or his own candid nature.

But it seems Devers is working up the courage to pick Bonds’ brain in the near future.

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“It’s kind of hard to know what I’m going to say but I know I’m going to work on it slowly so that I become very comfortable with him and he becomes very comfortable with me,” Devers added.

Whenever the two are able to talk shop, Giants fans can hope that some of Bonds’ experience rubs off on their newest left-handed slugger.

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Peter Chawaga

Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.

With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.