SAN FRANCISCO — Rafael Devers’ first two days as a Giant have been pretty eventful. There were smoke cannons, a big press conference, a two-hit debut, loud ovations and a declaration that he’d play wherever Bob Melvin wanted him.
One of the early highlights for Devers, though, has left him starstruck. Home run king Barry Bonds sat in the front row of Devers’ press conference Wednesday and talked shop with him behind the batting cage at Oracle Park. Devers had met his fair share of legends over 1,053 games and nine seasons in Boston. But it was clear Bonds — a fellow left-handed hitter who, like Devers soon will, took frequent aim at the Bay — made an impression.
“I met Barry Bonds,” Devers said through translator Erwin Higueros. “I had never seen him in person… I was just, ‘Wow.’”
Bonds, who holds the all-time home run record with 762 homers and starred in San Francisco for the final 15 years of his career from 1993 to 2007, sat next to Giants president/CEO Larry Baer for Devers’ presser and laughed at quips by Devers and president of baseball operations Buster Posey. Bonds, who has served as a special advisor to the CEO since 2017, was back at the ballpark Wednesday, sitting in the home dugout. He said he didn’t know much about Devers from afar but was excited to see what he could bring to the middle of San Francisco’s lineup.
“I’m very excited about that part,” Bonds said. “I’m very excited about what he’s gonna do.”
Devers — who joked during his press conference that “just looking” at Bonds would improve his game — said he was too shy to ask Bonds for much in the way of hitting tips on his first day.
“I haven’t had the courage to talk to him,” Devers said Tuesday. “I really don’t feel comfortable. I know that eventually, I will go out there and talk to him.
“I don’t know him already,” Devers added. “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.”
After an ugly ending in Boston that was followed by Red Sox legends like David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez being critical of the divorce between Devers and the club, Devers is looking forward to getting to know the history of his new organization — and explore a city he’s expected to call home for the next nine years until his contract expires in 2033. He even got to meet Mayor Daniel Lurie on his first day in town.
“I have heard wonderful things about the city,” he said. “They have told me a lot of places to go visit. I’m not one that likes to go out walking but I’m hearing so much that, yeah, maybe on my day off I’ll go head and explore the city.”
With the Giants, Devers will have Bonds and Posey, a six-time All-Star who won three World Series titles, at his disposal. San Francisco’s coaching staff also includes team legends Pat Burrell and Matt Williams, and there’s a chance J.T. Snow or Will Clark will help Devers out as he learns the intricacies of the first base position on the fly. Embracing the Giants’ culture is something Devers is looking forward to in the wake of a shocking trade that ended his Red Sox tenure Sunday.
“I hope to accomplish the same things those (two) players did,” Devers said of Bonds and Posey. “I think I have enough talent to do it. I do hope that when my time is done here in San Francisco, I have the same accolades that they have.”
