Bobby Bonilla

Bobby Bonilla Stats & Facts

 

VINTAGE BASEBALL MEMORABILIA

Vintage Baseball Memorabilia

Bobby Bonilla

Positions: Third Baseman, Rightfielder and First Baseman
Bats: Both  •  Throws: Right
6-3, 210lb (190cm, 95kg)
Born: February 23, 1963  in Bronx, NY 
High School: Lehman HS (Bronx, NY)
Debut: April 9, 1986 (15,138th in major league history)
vs. MIL 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: October 7, 2001
vs. HOU 1 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Roberto Martin Antonio Bonilla
Nicknames: Bobby-Bo
Pronunciation: \bo-KNEE-ya\

 

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1986

Rafael Palmeiro
Barry Bonds
Fred McGriff
Barry Larkin
Bobby Bonilla
Ruben Sierra
Mark McGwire
Greg Maddux
David Cone

 

 

 

Notable Events and Chronology for Bobby Bonilla Career

With a wide smile on his face, Bobby Bonilla played baseball with enthusiasm for 16 seasons. Bonilla, 3B/OF for the 1986-91 Pirates. He was originally signed by the Pirates in 1981 as a non-drafted free agent. After five seasons in the minors, he had yet to reach Triple-A. On December 10,1985, he was taken by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Bonilla spent half the year there before the Pirates reacquired him in exchange for Jose DeLeon. In 138 games during his rookie season, he hit .256 with just three homers. In 1987 he had a strong sophomore showing, batting .300 with 15 homers and 77 RBIs. He was playing third base and outfield prior to 1988, but that season he took over full-time at third base and put up a strong season at the plate. He drove in 100 runs, scored 87 times, hit 24 homers and drew 85 walks. He made the All-Star team that year, finished 14th in the NL MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger award.

In 1989 Bonilla hit .281 with 24 homers and 96 runs scored. He made his second of four straight All-Star appearances and finished 16th in the NL MVP voting. The 1990 season was the best of his career. He set career highs in both runs scored with 112 and RBIs with 120. He finished second to teammate Barry Bonds in the MVP voting, as they helped the Pirates to their first playoff appearance since winning the 1979 World Series. In the six game NLCS that year he hit .190 with one RBI. In 1991 Bobby had another outstanding season, scoring 102 runs, driving in 100 and leading the league in doubles with 44, all while taking a career high 90 walks. In the NLCS that postseason he hit .304 with six walks. In that off-season, he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the New York Mets, which he still makes money on to this day. After leaving via free agency, the switch-hitting slugger never had the same personal success, but he made it to the post-season with four teams. In 1997 with the Marlins, playing under Jim Leyland, his former manager in Pittsburgh, Bonilla finally won a World Series ring. Bonilla played in the majors through the 2001 season, finishing with a .279 average, 1,084 runs scored, 2,010 hits, 1,173 RBIs and 287 homers.

 

 

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Post-Season Appearances
1990 National League Championship Series
1991 National League Championship Series
1996 American League Championship Series
1996 American League Divisional Series
1997 National League Championship Series
1997 National League Divisional Series
1997 World Series
1999 National League Championship Series
1999 National League Divisional Series
2000 National League Divisional Series

Where He Played: Third base (957 games), outfield (670 -mostly right field), first base (125), DH (53)

Post-Season Notes
Bonilla struggled in the post-season, hitting .215 in 46 games, with just ten extra-base hits (five homers), and 19 RBI.

Hitting Streaks
22 games (1995)
22 games (1995)
20 games (1995)
20 games (1995)

Quotes About Bonilla
“He was a force offensively, he played hard and he was always a great personality for the clubhouse. He was a treat to manage.” — Jim Leyland

All-Star Selections
1988 NL
1989 NL
1990 NL
1991 NL
1993 NL
1995 NL

Best Strength as a Player
Power from either side of the plate.

Largest Weakness as a Player
Defense at third base

 

Other Resources & Links

View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject