It wasn’t too long ago when Rutgers outfielder Trevor Cohen heard his name called by San Francisco in the 2025 MLB Draft. Lighting would strike twice as his former teammate junior outfielder Peyton Bonds would be also selected in the third round to the same team just a year later.
Hailing from Franklin, New Jersey, Bonds spent one year at Campbell before transferring to the Banks for two seasons. This past year’s campaign had him missing substantial time due to injury, only playing in 36 games. In those games, he batted .352 with 50 hits and 29 RBIs. Bonds’s prior year saw him slash .300/.384/.430 with 40 RBIs. His unique combination of size, speed, contact hitting and raw power made him a standout candidate for MLB scouts throughout the Scarlet Knights’ season.
His last name was also always going to help catch the eye of scouts. Being the nephew of MLB legend Barry Bonds — arguably one of the greatest hitters of all time — can come with some perks. Bonds spent 22 seasons in the majors between the Pirates and the Giants, carrying the title of most home runs in a single season and an entire career. The 7-time MVP has had plenty of controversy about his playing career due to his situation with performance-enhancing substances, a main factor to why he isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Now, his nephew will try to climb the ranks of the same organization he found so much success with.
Bonds entered the draft as the No. 81 ranked prospect by MLB. He joins former teammate Cohen, who has put up a respectable line of .298/.388/.417 this season with Eugene in High-A. Cohen currently sits as the eighth prospect in the ball club following his move up from Single-A.
The presence of Bonds will surely be missed in Piscataway as he waits to see where in the San Francisco system he’ll go.
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