Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports that Dexter Fowler has been getting tutelage from former Giants outfielder Barry Bonds. Since back-to-back-to-back two-hit games to start the season, Fowler has slumped, batting just .114 in 47 trips to the plate over 11 games. Only one of his five hits has gone for extra bases.
Drellich writes that Fowler has been receiving instruction from Bonds for roughly a year, including over the off-season, but Bonds and Fowler have been collaborating at the O.co Coliseum while the Astros have battled the Athletics over the weekend.
Fowler says Bonds isn’t only helping with hitting:
“I don’t think it’s just one thing,” Fowler said. “It’s a plethora of things. To point out one thing, it’s mentally, it’s physically, it’s everything.”
Ryan Howard is another notable player to have been coached by Bonds, going all the way back to 2010. It’s tough to deduce if it helped, since Howard was injured for much of 2011 and ’12. The Astros, who have had Fowler lead off for most of the season, hope Bonds can help their center fielder turn his season around.
