Alphonse Dante Bichette Jr. (born September 26, 1992) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and first baseman. He was drafted by the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the first round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

Early life and career

Bichette was born in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, in 1992. His father

Dante Bichette Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. (; born November 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player, currently employed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California An ...

, is a former Major League Baseball player. His brother, Bo, plays for the Toronto Blue Jays. Bichette played in the

2005 Little League World Series The 2005 Little League World Series took place between August 19 and August 28 in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The West Oahu Little League of ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii, defeated the defending champion Pabao Little League of Willemstad, Curaçao, in ...

. During his senior year at Orangewood Christian High School, he batted .640 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs in 30 games.

Professional career

New York Yankees

Bichette was drafted 51st overall in the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

by the New York Yankees. He debuted in the Minor Leagues as part of the Yankees Gulf Coast League team, the GCL Yankees on June 20, 2011.

Colorado Rockies

Bichette became a free agent after the 2017 season, and signed a minor league contract with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

on December 23. He was released on March 28, 2018.

St. Paul Saints

On April 2, 2018, Bichette signed with the

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They prev ...

of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball.

High Point Rockers

On February 21, 2019, Bichette was traded to the High Point Rockers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Washington Nationals

He was named Atlantic League Player of the Month for April and May, appearing in 36 games before his rights were purchased and he was signed to a minor league deal by the Washington Nationals. He became a free agent following the 2019 season. On December 26, 2019, Bichette re-signed with the Nationals on a minor league contract. Bichette was released by the Nationals on May 31, 2020.

International career

Bichette represented Brazil in the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

. Both Bichette and his brother Bo Bichette have played for Brazil in the WBC due to their mother Mariana being a native of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Their maternal grandfather is of Chinese descent.

Personal life

Bichette’s father, Dante, is a former Major League Baseball player and four-time All-Star. His younger brother, Bo, currently plays with the Toronto Blue Jays.

References

External links

Dante Bichette, Jr. Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bichette, Dante Jr. 1992 births Living people American sportspeople of Brazilian descent American sportspeople of Chinese descent Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Baseball first basemen Baseball second basemen Baseball third basemen Charleston RiverDogs players Gulf Coast Yankees players Harrisburg Senators players High Point Rockers players Scottsdale Scorpions players St. Paul Saints players Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players Trenton Thunder players