Bret Boone

[William Malone]

Bret Robert Boone was born on April 6, 1969 in El Cajon, California.

The Minnesota Twins drafted him in the 28th round out of high school, but he did not sign and chose to attend the University of Southern California. Boone was a fifth round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 1990, and made his Major League debut for them in 1992. They traded him to the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the 1994 season.

He became the everyday second baseman in Cincinnati, earning his first Gold Glove and All-Star appearance in 1998. The Atlanta Braves acquired him in a trade in the off-season, and he helped them reach the World Series in 1999. Boone was 20-for-54 (.370) with five RBI that October, but Atlanta was swept by the New York Yankees in the fall classic. After spending 2000 with the San Diego Padres, he returned to Seattle in 2001.

Boone made the All-Star team two more times during his second stint with the Mariners. He also won three more Gold Gloves, and two Silver Sluggers. His 141 RBI in 2001 led the American League, helping him to a third place MVP finish. Seattle designated him for assignment midway through the 2005 campaign. Boone was hitting just .221 through 74 games at the age of 36, and had been worth -16 defensive runs saved at second base.

The Minnesota Twins took a flier on the struggling veteran, acquiring him on July 11th. He went 0-for-8 in his first two starts for the club, but then rattled off a six game hitting streak. His first RBI with the Twins was a run scoring single against Bartolo Colón of the Los Angeles Angels. This put the finishing touches on a five run fourth inning, and Minnesota wound up winning the game 5-4. Boone had a two RBI game against the Detroit Tigers on July 21st, with each RBI coming on a separate single.

He went 2-for-19 after his six game hitting streak, and was released by the Twins. Boone finished his short Minnesota tenure with a .187 average and three RBI over 14 games.

The New York Mets signed him to a minor league deal during the off-season, but he retired in the middle of spring training. Boone came out of retirement to sign a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals in 2008. He went 12-for-46 (.261) in 13 games at the Triple-A level.

Boone was a third generation Major League player. His grandfather, Ray, and father, Bob, both had long post-playing careers in the scouting and coaching ranks. His brother, Aaron, has done the same. But Bret Boone stayed mostly out of baseball in retirement, until getting hired as the Texas Rangers hitting coach in 2025. He was a mid-season replacement, after the Rangers fired Donnie Eckler in early May of the 2025 season.

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