One of the baseball’s home run record breaker, Barry Bonds is still silent whether he has the intention to be back in baseball. He might be busy right now in rebuilding his personal life after having a not so good relationship with his wife and probably preoccupied by the steroid perjury case against him. His wife already filed for divorce.

Former Giants manager Felipe Alou, now a special assistant is hoping that Barry Bonds will come back to help the team in some ways just like Mark McGwire who was hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as a hitting coach. He told Mercury News many things about Bonds. “I hope somehow he will come back in some capacity, even if it’s just to be at the ballpark. He’s just like Willie Mays to me — one of the greatest to ever play the game,” he said. He also compared Bonds with Mark’s statistics. “McGwire never won any batting titles, did he? McGwire was a great home run hitter. Barry was a great hitter, period. He was a great student of hitting,” said the former Giant’s manager.

Bonds’ great performance in the field could bring a lot for the Giants. He can share a lot of things to the new prospects of the team as well as serve as one of the training coaches. “The home runs were just one part of his career,” said Alou. “This is a guy who was a great outfielder, a destructive baserunner, a smart player. There’s a lot he could bring. But I don’t know if he’s interested,” he added. However, Alou did not mention if the steroid allegations against Bonds will affect his return.

Bonds retirement from baseball is not yet final since there are still some problems to be settled with the league. And of course, his long battle with the perjury case is not yet over. He is bound by a 10-year personal-services contract with the Giants after retirement. But the Giants may wait longer if the problem is not settled soon. Baseball fans seldom see the home run king in baseball parks. His last appearance was last April when he attended a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

President Larry Baer is also optimistic that Bonds’ appearance in Giants games will become more frequent. “I’ll say this: I do expect he will be at the ballpark this year,” he said. “We’re in pretty good touch with him. He’s got some stuff to get through, and we’ll see where things go for him in his life. His situation is different (from McGwire’s) in a lot of ways,” he added. Baer shared how Bonds can influence and inspire players. “I can tell you we certainly enjoyed him when he came for our reunions, that was in 2008. The players enjoy being around him, getting some of his hitting wisdom. He’s taken time with them, too. A lot of them grew up watching him play. So we’ll see. Right now, all channels are open,” Baer said.

Former teammate Fred Lewis said in an interview that he missed having Bonds in the team. “Just watching him take batting practice helped me. His feet were so quiet and his hands were so balanced, so explosive to the ball. He always said, ‘See the ball, hit the ball’ and ‘Be patient, stay within yourself.’ That was big for a lot of guys to hear. I know it was for me,” said the outfielder who played with Bonds for many years.

Other prospects of the team were also enthusiastic on meeting the baseball legend. “No, I’ve never met him, but I hope to,” “Oh man, I’d ask him all kinds of things. What did he do to really control himself…get the pitch he was looking for? What was the process that helped him become so selective and know his strike zone?” said the power-hitting outfield prospect, Thomas Neal. Buster Posey on the other hand may not be able to say anything once he meets Bonds. “Gosh, I probably wouldn’t ask anything,” Posey said. “I’d just listen.” For them, Bonds involvement in steroids will not be a major topic to discuss.

Bonds’ father was once a hitting coach but the home run king has no intention to follow his father’s footsteps. He is more interested in working with college baseball players.

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