Bob Boone, the former California Angels catcher who became one of the defining players of the club’s most successful stretch in the 1980s, has died at 78, according to multiple reports.
Greg Luzinski, Boone’s former teammate with the Philadelphia Phillies, and former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden, who hired Boone to manage in 2000, both posted about his death on Twitter/X late Monday.
Boone’s biggest imprint in Southern California came after the Angels landed him in a December 1981 trade with the Phillies. From 1982 through 1988, he was a central figure in the franchise’s longest sustained run of success at that point, a span that included three 90-win seasons and two American League Championship Series appearances.
He was especially dangerous in October. Boone hit .368 across 12 ALCS games, with two home runs, seven runs scored and six RBIs. That remains the highest career postseason batting average in Angels history for any player with at least 25 at-bats.
His regular-season resume with the Angels was just as decorated. Boone won Gold Glove Awards in 1982, 1986, 1987 and 1988, made the AL All-Star team in 1983, and was voted the Angels’ team MVP in both 1983 and 1988 by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. His 962 regular-season games behind the plate still stand as the Angels’ franchise record for catchers.
A San Diego native and Stanford product, Boone broke in with the Phillies in 1972 and was part of the club’s first World Series title in 1980. He finished his playing career with the Kansas City Royals in 1990 at age 42.
By the time he stepped away as a player, Boone had logged more than 2,200 games. He then moved into managing, leading the Royals from 1995-97 and the Reds from 2001-03.
The Boone family’s place in baseball history grew even deeper when Bret Boone debuted in 1992, making the family the first three-generation group of big leaguers. Bob’s father, Ray Boone, was a two-time All-Star, and Bret’s brother Aaron, now the New York Yankees manager, also reached the majors.
Among the game’s defensive greats, Bob Boone stood near the top. His seven career Gold Gloves trail only Ivan Rodriguez, Johnny Bench and Yadier Molina in major league history, and his 2,225 defensive games at catcher rank third all-time.
He also filled a very specific role in Gene Mauch’s lineup, often asked to sacrifice bunt. Boone’s 23 sacrifices in 1982 are the second-most in a single season in Angels history.
Boone later joined the Washington Nationals’ front office in 2005, and in 2009 he was elevated to assistant GM and vice president for player development. He resigned in early September of 2021, closing out a baseball career that stretched across seven decades and left its mark on several franchises, especially the Angels.
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