Don Bosch

Donald John Bosch

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 160 lb.
• High School St. Ignatius College Preparatory
• Debut September 19, 1966
• Final Game July 6, 1969
• Born July 15, 1942 in San Francisco, CA USA

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Biographical Information

A switch-hitting center fielder, Don Bosch was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and had some good seasons in their minor league system in the early 1960s, hitting .332 in 144 games with the Kinston Indians in 1963, and .283 with 21 doubles, 8 triples and 11 homers for the Columbus Jets in 1966. That earned him a brief look with the Pirates in September of the year, after which the New York Mets acquired him with the view of making him their starting center fielder. He was already touted as "the next Mickey Mantle" and, of course, had no way of living up to such lofty expectations. He did not come close, hitting .140 in 1967 and being sent back to the minors in early June. The Mets acquired Tommie Agee to be their center fielder in 1968, and, even though Agee struggled at the plate, Bosch played himself out of the team's future by hitting .171 in 50 games that year.

The Mets left Bosch exposed in the expansion draft. When he was not picked, the Mets sold him to the Montreal Expos once the draft was over. He had the inside track to earn the Expos' starting job in center field, but during spring training 1969, he was beaten out by Rule V pick Don Hahn, who became the Opening Day starter. Hahn quickly showed he was not ready to play in the majors, and Bosch got a chance to start for a while, but he still could not buy a hit. He was batting .179 in 49 games - the most playing time of his career - when he went down with a season-ending injury in early July. He could not make the team in 1970 and was sent to the AAA Buffalo Bisons (who became the Winnipeg Whips after a few weeks), hitting decently - .266 in 51 games with a bit of power. On June 23rd, he was traded to the Houston Astros for pitcher Mike Marshall in a deal that turned out to be an absolute steal for the Expos. Marshall became one the best relievers in baseball for much of the 1970s, while Bosch hit only .196 in 25 games for the Oklahoma City 89ers and was released, ending his career.