Bret Boone

WHEN THE MARINERS called Bret Boone up from the minor leagues in August of 1992, a new category of baseball players was established: three-generation major leaguers. Boone’s grandfather, Ray Boone, played shortstop for six major-league teams from 1948 through 1960. His father, Bob Boone, had a 19-year career as a catcher between 1972 and 1990.1 Bret’s younger brother Aaron Boone became a major leaguer in 1997; in 2018 he was named manager of the New York Yankees.2

Bret Robert Boone3 was born on April 6, 1969, in El Cajon, California, to Robert Raymond and Susan (Roel) Boone. His grandfather, Ray Boone, played shortstop for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Athletics, Milwaukee Braves, and Boston Red Sox, over his 13-year career. During World War II, he served in the US Navy. From 1961, he worked as a scout for the Red Sox, retiring in 1991. Bret’s father, Bob Boone, played for the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels, and Kansas City Royals.4

The family connections would prove to be valuable in Bret’s career. When he was 9 years old, he and other children of Philadelphia Phillies’ players played together on the field with their fathers and were known as the Kiddie Korps.5

Boone attended El Dorado High School in Placentia, California, batting .423 to lead the Golden Hawks to an 11-4 record in 1986.6 The next year he hit .500 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs.7 He was drafted in 1987 by the Minnesota Twins in the 28th round but did not turn pro with them, signing a letter of intent to attend the University of Southern California. During his three-year career there, he hit .304 with 29 homers and 160 RBIs. In 1990 he hit six home runs in a losing cause as LSU defeated USC in three games in the NCAA South 1 Regional Championship. Boone was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.8 In 1990 the Mariners drafted him in the fifth round,9 and he signed a professional contract.10

That summer Boone played in 74 games for the Peninsula Pilots of the Advanced-A Carolina League with a batting average of .267. In 1991 he saw service with the Jacksonville Stars of the Double-A Southern League, playing both second base and shortstop. Boone moved to the Calgary Cannons of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1992 and played there until his major-league debut with the Seattle Mariners on August 19, 1992.11 In that game, he singled in his first at-bat, walked in his second and scored both times. On defense, he was part of three double plays.12

Boone grew up in a household where baseball was everywhere. He was immersed in the sport from the time he was born, but there was no pressure on him to play baseball at a high level to the exclusion of other careers. His father was not around much when he was growing up; he was busy playing major-league baseball. By the time he got out of school and was playing Little League games, his dad was at a big-league ballpark, so he didn’t get to see his son play often.

When Bret Boone would go to the ballpark with his father, he saw what professional baseball was like and shagged fly balls and did a bit of batting practice. However, he spent a lot of time with his grandfather, at first playing catch in the backyard. Like many children of that era, he played multiple sports: baseball in the summer, football in the fall, and basketball in the winter. He considers the modern idea of specialization in one sport to be a double-edged sword. In his book, Home Team: Big-League Stories From My Life in Baseball’s First Family, he notes, “They get better training than ever before, and by the time they get to high school, some are as polished as I was in college.” He then asks, “Do today’s players have as much fun as my grandpa, my dad, my brother, and I had? Do they love the game as much? Do they enjoy it? I’m not so sure about that. Sure, talent matters. Technique matters. Strikes, speed, and high-tech training all have their place. But fun, it should matter, too.”13

The book tells the story of his being in the eighth grade and meeting with a counselor who asked him to pick his high-school courses. He said that the classes didn’t matter as he just needed to play baseball so he could go to the big leagues and play there for 15 years. He was able to visualize his future and had the confidence to achieve his goals. Some might have labeled his attitude as arrogant, but he just knew what was going to happen.

Bret didn’t learn how to hit or throw from his dad but learned a far more valuable lesson: how to become a professional. As a kid, he had no idea what his father was going through on the night he went 0-for-4 at the plate, but somehow that knowledge was absorbed and was perhaps the most important thing he learned. He believes his father was the epitome of a professional player.

When Bret Boone was playing in college and the minor leagues, he was constantly asked what it would be like to be the third generation of his family to play in the major leagues. He got a bit tired of the same question and wondered why reporters weren’t asking about how well he was playing. It wasn’t until after a couple of years in the big leagues that the three-generation questions finally stopped. He acknowledges that this fact defines him as a player. He is a proud member of the Boone family, which has had four players in three generations make it to the big leagues and all become All-Stars.

In his second year, Boone set a club record for home runs by a second baseman in 1993, hitting 12 in 76 games,14 but was still traded with Erik Hanson to the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Bobby Ayala and catcher Dan Wilson. His father thought he had been “jacked around a bit” in Seattle and that it was good for him to be traded.15

For the next four seasons, Boone was the regular second baseman for the Reds. In 1994 he briefly played third base, but that experiment was short-lived. His defensive play had been in question but on September 12, 1995, he made a great pivot to turn a triple play.16 In June 1997 he was demoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, and his spot on the Reds was taken by his brother Aaron Boone, who had just made his major-league debut.17 The trip to the minors lasted just three days when the team decided that his strong defense was “too valuable to have in the minor leagues.”18

Boone’s most successful season in his young career was 1998.19 He replaced the injured Sammy Sosa in the All-Star Game for his first appearance and won his first Gold Glove Award at the end of the season. As reported in How Baseball Explains America, “On the last day of the 1998 season, the Reds helped Bret Boone make baseball trivia history by starting the only infield ever composed of brothers: first baseman Stephen Larkin, second baseman Bret Boone, future Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, and third baseman Aaron Boone.”20

During the offseason, there were several rumors about where Bret Boone would next play. As told in Home Team: Big League Stories From My Life in Baseball’s First Family, the Cincinnati Reds needed pitching. John Schuerholz, general manager of the Atlanta Braves, offered the Mariners Denny Neagle, who had won 20 games in 1997 and 16 games in 1998. However, the price would not be cheap as the Braves wanted “a bat” in return, specifically Bret Boone. There was a conversation around the table with Reds general manager Jim Bowden, managerJack McKeon, and the club’s top scouts and advisers at which the potential trade was discussed. When it was time for Bob Boone to express his opinion, he said he would make the deal – and that comment apparently sealed the deal.21 While the principals in the trade were Boone and Neagle, the complete deal was Cincinnati Reds sending Boone and left-handed pitcher Mike Remlinger to Atlanta for left-handed pitcher Denny Neagle, outfielder Michael Tucker, and right-handed pitcher Rob Bell.22 Reporters from both cities questioned the trade, with Tim Sullivan of the Cincinnati Enquirer noting that the “Cincinnati Reds went after authenticity today.” He further noted that the only way a club could acquire a significant starting pitcher was through barter and that “good pitching will beat good hitting.”23 On the Atlanta side of the equation, Tim Tucker felt that Boone would have been “a much better buy a year ago,” expressed concern about the fluctuations in his batting average, and was not convinced that Remlinger would be a good fit in the bullpen.24 Boone was part of Atlanta’s World Series run in 1999. Despite his 7-for-13 batting during the Series, the Braves were swept by the New York Yankees.

Boone played the 2000 season with the San Diego Padres after being traded with Ryan Klesko for Reggie Sanders, Quilvio Veras, and Wally Joyner.25 On May 11, 2000, he had the ninth multihomer game of his career, including an inside-the-park home run. When the Padres declined to exercise his contract option, Boone became a free agent and received a $250,000 buyout.26

Boone returned to the Mariners, signing on December 22, 2000,27 and was part of a record-breaking 1991 season. The Mariners won 116 games, tying the 1906 Chicago Cubs’ record and establishing a record for an American League team. Boone was a vital contributor to the team’s success: His 141 RBIs led the American League, his batting average was .331, and he set a new home-run record for Mariners second basemen with 37 while also hitting 37 doubles. The All-Star Game was held in Seattle, and Boone was one of four Mariners to start in the game (others were John Olerud at first base, Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield, and Edgar Martínez as designated hitter).28 On August 30, 2001, Boone bested his grandfather’s record of RBIs when he hit three in a game to reach 118.29 He won a Silver Slugger Award that season and finished third in American League MVP voting. The Mariners defeated the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series but fell to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Boone talks fondly of the 2001 Mariners team. He noted that he had played on some really good Reds teams in 1994 and 1995 and an Atlanta Braves team that went to the World Series, but the 2001 team was different than any other he had played on. There was a great mix of veteran players who were successful in their own right and younger players who contributed. He said Lou Piniella was the perfect manager to deal with the different personalities on the team; he didn’t have to do much because they were all highly motivated.30

Boone said that of all the teams he played on, this one was unique. For the first time in his career, he found himself socializing after games with his teammates rather than going home as he had done before. Some of his best friends were from that team, and they were still in contact more than 20 years later.

The season was one for the ages: The Mariners didn’t lose a single series and didn’t have a rough week throughout the entire campaign. He said he believes that there will never be a team that wins 116 games again.31 They firmly believed that they would win the World Series that year and were stunned when they lost the ALCS to the Yankees, winning just once in five games. The magical season had come to an end short of the ultimate goal.32 Boone was 6-for-19 in the ALCS, homered in Games Three and Four, and drove in five runs in Game Three.

On July 16, 2001, Boone appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, billed as an “RBI machine.”33 At the end of the season, he received a little glass trophy in the mail. The Mariners had taken a vote and named him the team’s Most Valuable Player.34 He set an American League record for homers (36) and RBIs (league-leading 141) by a second baseman and became the first American League second baseman to bat .300 or better with 30 home runs.35

On May 2, 2002, Boone and Mike Cameron made history in a game against the Chicago White Sox. According to an Associated Press article, “Cameron began his historic night by joining Bret Boone as the first teammates to both hit two home runs in the same inning. They connected back-to-back twice in a 10-run first inning.”36 Cameron ended that evening with four home runs and just missed a fifth in a 15-4 Mariners victory.

Boone won Gold Glove Awards again in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He won a second Silver Slugger Award in 2003 and was an All-Star for the third time in 2003.

In 2003 he worked for Fox TV as an analyst in the postseason and was in the booth when his brother Aaron, who was then playing for the Yankees, hit the winning walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series.37

On July 11, 2005, the Mariners traded Bret, 36 years old, to the Minnesota Twins for cash and a player to be named later. The Twins released him on July 31. In 2006 he signed a minor-league contract with the New York Mets but announced his retirement from baseball on March 1, saying he had lost his passion for the game.38

Over a 16-year major-league career, Bret Boone played in 1,780 games, with a .266 batting average and a .325 on-base percentage. He drove in 1,021 runs and homered 252 times. Defensively, he handled 8,156 chances and had a fielding percentage of .986. In his 31 postseason games, he had a .333 on-base percentage and a .288 batting average.

The next two years were spent helping his wife, Suzi, with his children, which he had not been able to do during baseball season, playing golf, and watching some ballgames on TV. In February 2008, Boone came out of retirement and signed a minor-league contract with the Washington Nationals, where his father was one of the executives; his brother Aaron had signed as well. He played for the minor-league Columbus Clippers but left, hoping to get a major-league contract. When that did not materialize, he retired again. The family was concerned in 2009, when Aaron underwent heart surgery, but he recovered to play 10 games for the Houston Astros. Bret Boone was the manager of the Victoria Golden Seals of the Golden Baseball League in 2010 but left after just four games for personal reasons.

In 2013 Boone became a special adviser for the Oakland Athletics and did some scouting. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, he became interested in media and recorded a few spots before the world shut down. He then began a podcast. His first interviews were with his friends and former teammates. From the podcast’s humble beginnings, it has grown in popularity, and he created a team behind him working to produce a quality product. Being on the other side of the microphone gave him compassion for all those years when he was being interviewed. He came to understand the pressure to produce every week and how difficult it is when somebody cancels at the last minute. The one-hour podcast, entitled simply The Bret Boone Podcast, can be found through all major podcast platforms.39 He discusses baseball primarily, but also other sports.

Boone also makes speaking and TV appearances. He acts as a Mariner Ambassador on occasion.

On May 5, 2025, the Texas Rangers hired Boone as their hitting coach, under contract through the end of the 2025 season.40 The contract will be evaluated then and could be extended. He continued to record podcast episodes.41

Boone was formerly married to Suzi Riggins and had four children with her. He later married Krista Sola. In 2021, his son Jake, an infielder, broke into professional baseball with the Class-A Fredericksburg Senators, in the Washington Nationals’ farm system. He played in the independent Frontier League in 2022 and 2023. If all goes well, he could make the Boones a fourth-generation major-league family.

SOURCES

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com.

NOTES

1 Ray, Bob, and Bret were all All-Star selections. Ray and Bob had World Series appearances. Ashley McGeachy, “Boone Trilogy Complete,” Redding (California) Record Searchlight, August 20, 1992: 13.

2 Since the Boones became the first three-generation major-league family, three other such groups have sprung up: the Colemans, the Bells, and the Hairstons.

3 The Boones are also descended from the nineteenth-century explorer Daniel Boone. Bret is Daniel’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandson. “Bret Boone Biography,” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1741808/bio/.

4 Bob Boone had another baseball-playing son. Matt Boone, born in 1979, was drafted by the Tigers in 1997, and played in the Tigers’ and Reds’ farm systems from 1997 to 2003.

5 Will Grimsley (Associated Press) , “Phils’ ‘Kiddie Korps’ Has No Need for Newspapermen,” San Luis Obispo (California) Tribune, March 9, 1979: 8.

6 Steve Lowery, “Bret’s Connections May Turn Out as a Boone to His Career,” Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1986: 81.

7 Los Angeles Times, June 10, 1987: 82.

8 “USC Falls; LSU Goes to CWS,” Thousand Oaks (California) Star, May 29, 1990: 16.

9 “Seattle Mariner Draft Selections,” Seattle Times, June 15, 1990: 61.

10 Jim Street, “Mariner Notebook,” Seattle Times, June 11, 1990: 29.

11 https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/stats/p-dead1e57#google_vignette.

12 Bob Finngan, “Boone’s Day,” Seattle Times, August 20, 1992: 74.

13 Bret Boone and Kevin Cook, Home Game: Big-League Stories From My Life in Baseball’s First Family (New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2016), 41, 42.

14 “Boone Matches Cruz Record for Home Runs,” Seattle Times, September 2, 1993: 42.

15 Janet Graham, “Boone’s Father Rips Seattle Trade of Son to Reds,” Kitsap Sun (Bremerton, Washington), November 9, 1993: 10.

16 “Short Stops,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 17, 1995: 47.

17 Greg Simms, “Back to Basics for Boone,” Dayton Daily News, June 20, 1997: 3.

18 Jeff Horrigan, “To Indy and Back,” Cincinnati Post, June 23, 1997: 23.

19 Jeff Horrigan, “Johnson Throws Brakes on Third-Base Experiment,” Cincinnati Post, April 28, 1994: 31.

20 Hal Bodley, How Baseball Explains America (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2015), 85.

21 Boone and Cook, 146.

22 Thomas Stinson, “Braves land Boone,” Atlanta Journal, November 11, 1998: 63. See also Tom Groeschen, “Reds Barter Boone to Braves for Pitcher Neagle,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 11, 1998: 1.

23 Tim Sullivan, “Tomorrow Comes Today for Reds,” Cincinnati Enquirer, November 11, 1998: 41.

24 Tim Tucker, “Did Braves Get Their Money’s Worth in Deal?” Atlanta Journal, November 12, 1998: 45.

25 “Braves Swap Power for Speed,” Roanoke Times, December 3, 1999: 5.

26 “Padres Let Boone Go,” Tipton County Tribune (Elwood, Indiana), October 31, 2000: 5.

27 Herald Wire Services, “Seattle Signs 2B Bret Boone,” Miami Herald, December 23, 2000: 42.

28 https://www.espn.com/mlb/allstargame/history/results?year=2001.

29 John Hickey, “M’s Have Eye on Outside Player, but Move Is Unlikely,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 31, 2001: 47.

30 Author interview with Bret Boone on September 11, 2023.

31 Much of this information was obtained in interviews on September 11, 2023, and April 17, 2025.

32 Interview with Bret Boone.

33 See Boone cover, Sports Illustrated, June 16, 2001. https://sicovers.com/featured/seattle-mariners-bret-boone-july-16-2001-sports-illustrated-cover.html.

34 Boone and Cook, 176.

35 Steve Kelley, “Year Will Be Remembered for M’s Magic,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 30, 2001: 34.

36 “Seattle’s Cameron Homers 4 Times, Almost Hits 5th,” Indianapolis Star, May 3, 2002: 3.

37 Boone and Cook, 190.

38 Bill Whitehead, “The Thrill Is Gone,” Vero Beach (Florida) Press Journal, March 2, 2006: 30.

39 https://bretboonepodcast.com/podcast/.

40 https://www.mlb.com/news/bret-boone-rangers-hitting-coach.

41 This information was gleaned from the author listening to the podcast episodes at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bret-boone-podcast/id1527581760.