Did Barry Bonds Spark San Francisco Giants Slugger's Stunning Turnaround?

This San Francisco Giants slugger immediately caught fire after speaking with Barry Bonds.

Apr 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (49) hits a 3-run home run during the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Tyler Fitzgerald and Barry Bonds have a special connection.

During Fitzgerald's rookie season for the San Francisco Giants last year, he suddenly hit like Bonds for a short stretch. Over a 17-game period in the middle of the summer, he bashed 11 home runs with 18 RBI while batting .359/.423/.953, briefly leading the Giants back into contention.

Fitzgerald eventually came back to earth, however, cooling off down the stretch along with his teammates. Over his final 36 games of the season, he batted just .230/.281/.311 with one homer, eight RBI, 53 strikeouts and nine walks, ending the year in a massive funk.

That slump carried over into 2025, as Fitzgerald started the year ice-cold. Through his first eight games, he slashed a paltry .185/.241/.222 with no homers and eight strikeouts, looking totally lost at the plate.

Fortunately, that's when Bonds stepped in.

Prior to San Francisco's 1-0 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on April 8, the seven-time NL MVP stopped by Fitzgerald's locker and asked him to meet behind the batting cage during batting practice.

Fitzgerald agreed, and Bonds gave him a quick hitting lesson, sharing some tips to help the slumping slugger improve.

Barry out at BP today with a bat giving Tyler Fitzgerald some pointers 🐐🔥 pic.twitter.com/G7URpe3mxV

— KNBR (@KNBR) April 8, 2025

Sure enough, Bonds' advice worked. Fitzgerald immediately caught fire, drilling a pair of hits the next day. In the eight games since his impromptu batting lesson, he has 12 hits (six for extra bases) and is slashing .429/.448/.821 with six RBI.

While Fitzgerald probably would have pulled out of his slump eventually, Bonds likely accelerated the process. After all, it never hurts to get some pointers from one of the greatest hitters of all time.

Bonds unlocked something in Fitzgerald, and it's already paying massive dividends. Maybe he should be the team's hitting coach from now on.

Fitzgerald is hitting like Bonds again, and for that, he can thank Bonds himself.