Daniel Hugh Boone (born January 14, 1954) is a former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He pitched parts of three seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

, appearing in 1981, 1982, and 1990. He is probably best known for the eight-year gap between his major league stints, and the improbable comeback that led him to his time with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

in 1990.

Draft history

Coming out of

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, Boone was selected in the 2nd round of the

1976 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...

by the then-

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

.Danny Boone transactions at Baseball-Reference
/ref> This was actually the fifth time Boone had been drafted, as he had been selected after each of his four years in college as well as the secondary phase draft in January 1976. It was also the third time he was drafted by the Angels, who selected him in both 1973 and 1974, but he only signed after this draft.

NL career

Boone's early promise went unfulfilled for several years, as he washed out of the Angels' system when he was released at the end of

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

in 1980. He was signed just three days later by the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

, where he made his major league debut the following April. Boone pitched in 37 games for the Padres in 1981, winning 1 game, losing none, and collecting two saves with a decent 2.84 ERA. Boone began the next season with the Padres as well, but pitched sparingly, making only 10 appearances over the first two months of the season. On June 8, he was traded to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

for infielder

Joe Pittman Joseph Wayne Pittman (January 1, 1953 – June 13, 2014) was a backup infielder/outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in parts of three seasons spanning 1981–1984. List ...

, and after a handful of appearances in June was returned to the minor leagues. After a September call-up, he started the 1983 season back in the minors, and was released in June.

MLB Comeback

Boone signed a minor league contract with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

, spending about a year in their farm system before being released once again. For the next five years, he dropped off the radar of American professional baseball. Then, in 1989, a new league started that gave Boone a new lease on his career: the

Senior Professional Baseball Association The Senior Professional Baseball Association, referred to commonly as the ''Senior League'', was a winter baseball league based in Florida for players age 35 and over, with a minimum age of 32 for catchers. The league began play in 1989 and had ei ...

. Boone signed on with the

Bradenton Explorers The Bradenton Explorers were one of the eight original franchises that began play in the Senior Professional Baseball Association in . That season, the club compiled a record of 38-34, finishing in second place in the league's Northern Division, ...

, where he showed off a new pitch in his arsenal: the

knuckleball A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This chan ...

. He pitched well enough for them (4-3, 3.16 ERA) to get a contract offer from the Orioles, and in September 1990 he was back in the majors. He pitched in four games, including his first-ever major league start against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

on September 30, in which he did not receive a decision. Boone's comeback drew some attention, and he even was accorded "Rookie Prospect" status in the 1991 Score baseball card set at the age of 36.1991 Score #715 Dan Boone
/ref> However, his first major league start also turned out to be his last major league appearance, as he did not make the Orioles team that spring, and after a second stint with the Explorers Boone's career was well and truly over.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boone, Danny 1954 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Amarillo Gold Sox players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Long Beach, California Bradenton Explorers players Cardenales de Lara players Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball players Cerritos Falcons baseball players Daytona Beach Explorers players El Paso Diablos players Hawaii Islanders players Houston Astros players Knuckleball pitchers Major League Baseball pitchers Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Oklahoma City 89ers players Rochester Red Wings players Salinas Angels players Salt Lake City Gulls players San Diego Padres players Tucson Toros players Vancouver Canadians players Anchorage Glacier Pilots players Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks players

Draft history

NL career

MLB Comeback

See also

References

External links