Player Profile: Bret Boone

I have 82 cards of Bret Boone. This one is from 1992 Score Traded. 

Playing career: Part of baseball’s legendary Boone family, second baseman Bret Boone had a solid if unspectacular career for the Reds, Braves and Padres before signing with the Mariners as a free agent in 2001. In Seattle his power numbers took off, hitting .331 with 37 HR and a league-leading 141 RBI. He put up similar numbers in 2002 and 2003, but his production declined swiftly after that, and he retired after the 2005 season. Such a marked and brief increase in production late in his career led many, most prominently Jose Canseco in his book Juiced, accuse Boone of taking steroids, but these accusations have never been proven. 

Where he is now: He was a spring training instructor this year for the Oakland A’s.

My memories: I remember him as one of the many out-of-nowhere power hitters in the early 00’s. Whether it was steroids, a juiced ball, or something else, there were a lot of random guys like Boone suddenly becoming stars.

Google Autcomplete results: He is fourth when you type Bret B, between Bret Baier Special Report with Bret Baier, Television Program, a Fox News show, and Bret Bielema, head football coach at Arkansas. Another prominent Bret Boone is a realtor in Oklahoma.

Coming up next: The next profile will be Danny Boone.