John Charles Bottarini (September 14, 1908 – October 8, 1976) was a right-handed

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

during the 1937 season. He did not see much playing time as the Cubs were anchored behind the plate by future Hall of Famer

Gabby Hartnett Charles Leo "Gabby" Hartnett (December 20, 1900 – December 20, 1972), nicknamed "Old Tomato Face", was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played almost his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher with the Chic ...

. Bottarini appeared in 26 games for the Cubs that season and put up decent offensive numbers, hitting .275 in 40 at-bats with three runs, three doubles, a home run and 7 RBI. He made 19 appearances in the field—18 at catcher and one in the outfield. He handled 53

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

(44 putouts, 9 assists) at catcher perfectly for a 1.000

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

. Before his season in Chicago, Bottarini played for the

Los Angeles 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 ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. After the 1937 season, Bottarini was sold to Memphis of the minor league Southern Association. He would never play in the major leagues again. Bottarini died by drowning after a boating accident on October 8, 1976, in

Jemez Springs, New Mexico Jemez Springs (pronounced HEH-mes) is a village in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 250 at the 2010 census. Named for the nearby Pueblo of Jemez, the village is the site of Jemez State Monument and the headqua ...

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* 1908 births 1976 deaths Accidental deaths in New Mexico Albuquerque Dukes players Baseball players from Contra Costa County, California Boating accident deaths Chicago Cubs players Clovis Pioneers players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Major League Baseball catchers Memphis Chickasaws players Pampa Oilers players San Francisco Seals (baseball) players Seattle Indians players Sweetwater Swatters players Syracuse Chiefs players Temple Eagles players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players {{US-baseball-catcher-1900s-stub