Bruce Dostal

Bruce Wayne Dostal

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.
• School William Paterson College
• High School Montville Township High School
• Debut None (spent 4 games on active roster of the Orioles in June 1994)
• Born March 10, 1965 in Montville, NJ USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Bruce Dostal spent 8 years in the minor leagues and just missed a chance at playing in the majors. He stole 218 bases in the minors.

Bruce was the 17th-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1987 amateur draft. He debuted with the Great Falls Dodgers that season, hitting .284/~.357/.338 in 62 games, stealing 14 bases. In 1988, Dostal batted .251/~.369/.308 for the Bakersfield Dodgers and stole 32 bases in 41 attempts.

Bruce returned to high class A in 1989 with the Vero Beach Dodgers. He had a .247/~.330/.322 batting line and stole 41 bases. In 1990, Dostal split the year between Vero Beach (58 games, .302/~.385/.464, 31 for 36 in steals, error-free in the outfield) and the San Antonio Missions (.260/~.365/.346 in 53 games, only 10 for 19 in stolen base attempts).

In 1991, the 26-year-old outfielder signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .313/~.408/.412 for the Reading Phillies and pilfered 38 bases, leading all their minor leaguers. He finished third in the Eastern League in batting average behind Matt Stairs and Archi Cianfrocco and was about 10 points behind OBP leader Billy Masse. Dostal made the EL All-Star team in the outfield along with Jeromy Burnitz and Rob Katzaroff.

Dostal struggled in 1992, splitting the year between Reading (.238/~.331/.328m, 9 for 13 in SB in 33 games) and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (.220/~.385/.280, 10 for 14 in SB in 65 games). He went 3 for 13 with one steal in 2 tries in six games for the 1993 Red Barons then was let go.

Signed by the Baltimore Orioles, Bruce hit .296/~.378/.401 with 13 SB in 20 tries for the Rochester Red Wings in the remainder of 1993. Dostal spent most of 1994 back in Rochester, batting .287/.361/.405 in 87 contests and swiping 8 in 11 attempts. He was called up to the 1994 Orioles for four days in June. On two consecutive nights, manager Johnny Oates told him he would pinch-run for Harold Baines if Baines reached base - both times, Baines was retired. Dostal never would get to play in the majors.

Bruce made his last minor league appearances in 1995 with the Oklahoma City 89ers, hitting .212/~.285/.341 in 88 games and going 11 for 14 in steals.

Sources: 1988-1996 Baseball Almanacs, 1989, 1991 and 1995 Baseball Guides, article cited below

Dostal wore #48 during his brief time on a major league roster.

Related Links

• Article on Bruce Dostal, Career statistics for Dostal