The Giants selected a familiar name with a legendary family pedigree during Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday afternoon: Peyton Bonds.
Yep, he’s related to Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonds. Peyton is Barry’s nephew and Bobby’s grandson — son of Bobby Jr., who played 11 years of pro ball. And the 20-year-old Peyton — taken with the 90th overall pick — is larger, physically, than each of them was in their playing days, at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds.
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“Anytime you get a guy named Bonds, you’re crazy if you don’t get excited,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said Saturday. “I think the physical stature or skill set will stick out to everybody when they take their first look, or probably even in the scouting department. But in my limited knowledge, just from watching and a little bit of research, he seems to have incredible instincts for the game, so it will be exciting to see that as well.”
Peyton can hit — at Rutgers this past season, the right-handed batter posted a .352/.436/.535 slash line with six home runs in 36 games. But his campaign was shortened by an April hamstring injury. He has a good feel for hitting, producing plenty of bat speed and high exit velocities.
While Bonds has average speed, he’s an excellent defensive center fielder, projected by MLB Pipeline to stick at that position at the next level. He’d been on the Giants’ radar for a while, as he played alongside 2025 third-round Draft pick Trevor Cohen (San Francisco’s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline) at Rutgers last year.
“We drafted him because of his ability and what we believe in him,” Giants senior director of amateur scouting Michael Holmes said. “Just a real unique talent. Super strong, athletic, super high exit velocities off the bat. We think there are some things we can do with the swing to help him elevate the baseball a little bit. You get an athlete in the middle of the diamond, center field, hits the ball hard, it’s a real good starter kit. He’s a Giant because of Peyton Bonds.”
While Bonds has produced at the plate, the signature power that is inextricably linked to the family name — his uncle, of course, is the all-time home run leader with 762, and his grandfather hit 332 homers himself — hasn’t been fully realized yet. Barry Bonds spent 15 of his 22 big league seasons and hit 586 of his home runs with the Giants.
According to MLB Pipeline, which ranked Peyton as the No. 81 Draft prospect in this year’s class, “there could be more unlocked with some bat path adjustments at the next level.”
With his lineage and noted passion for the game, Peyton could potentially continue the Bonds legacy in the big leagues someday soon.