Dante Bichette

Dante Bichette
Right fielder / Left fielder
Born: November 18, 1963 (1963-11-18) (age 47) West Palm Beach, Florida
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 5, 1988 for the California Angels
Last MLB appearance
October 6, 2001 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Batting average	.299
Home runs	274
Runs batted in	1,141
Teams
California Angels (1988–1990) Milwaukee Brewers (1991–1992) Colorado Rockies (1993–1999) Cincinnati Reds (2000) Boston Red Sox (2000–2001)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star selection (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998) Silver Slugger Award winner (1995)

Alphonse Dante Bichette, Sr. ( /ˈdɑːnteɪ bɨˈʃɛt/; born November 18, 1963 in West Palm Beach, Florida) is a former Italian-American Major League Baseball player.

He began his career with the California Angels in 1988, but was a streaky hitter and was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991. After putting up only average numbers with Milwaukee, he was traded to the new expansion team, the Colorado Rockies. On April 7, 1993 he hit the first home-run in Rockies history, a solo shot off of New York Mets pitcher Bret Saberhagen. It was with the Rockies where he shone as a player. Bichette was part of the "Blake Street Bombers" which also included sluggers Larry Walker, Andres Galarraga, and Vinny Castilla. At least some of his slugging success can be attributed to the home run-friendly ballparks in Denver, Mile High Stadium and Coors Field. During his time in Colorado, his at-bat music was Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel.

He finished the Rockies' first season with 21 home runs and a .310 batting average, his personal best for both at the time. Bichette also hit his first home run at the newly-constructed Coors Field, a fourteenth-inning smash against the Mets that secured an opening day victory for the Rockies in 1995. Bichette had his best season in 1995, coming very close to the Triple Crown with a .340 batting average, 40 home runs and 128 RBIs and barely lost the MVP voting to the Cincinnati Reds' Barry Larkin.

Bichette began having knee problems in 1996, but was still successful as a hitter, with a .316 average, 31 home runs and 141 RBIs, plus 31 stolen bases. The 1996 season was only the second time ever that two players on the same team hit at least 30 home runs and collected 30 stolen bases, as Ellis Burks accomplished the same feat. Over the next three seasons, Bichette hit 26, 22 and 34 home runs for the Rockies, respectively. He remains in the top ten in many offensive categories for the Rockies.[1] But by the end of the 1999 season, his production was beginning to drop and the Rockies dealt Bichette to the Cincinnati Reds. However, his fielding was suffering tremendously and Bichette was eventually traded to the Boston Red Sox^[1] for a season and a half and then the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bichette retired before ever playing a game with the Dodgers on March 22, 2002.

In August 2004, Bichette rejoined professional baseball as a pitcher and first baseman for the Atlantic League's Nashua Pride. It took little time for Bichette to play back into form as he won the Atlantic League's Player of the Month award for August (his first full month back). He completed the month with a .361 average and 13 homers. On August 28, he batted 4-for-5 with two home runs and eight RBIs.

In August 2005, Bichette's son Dante Bichette, Jr. participated in the Little League World Series with his Maitland, Florida team. The Maitland team featured a second son of a former major-leaguer in Tanner Stanley, son of Mike Stanley. In 2011, Bichette Jr., was drafted 51st overall in Comp Round A by the New York Yankees, who are managed by Bichette Sr.'s close friend Joe Girardi.^[2]

See also

• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

References

1. ^ "Red Sox deal for Bichette". CBS Sports. 31 August 2000. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/08/31/sports/main229701.shtml. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
2. ^ New York Yankees draft Dante Bichette Jr.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
• Little League World Series 2005 Coach Photograph

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Jeff Conine Mike Piazza Jeff Bagwell	National League Player of the Month July 1995 September 1995 June 1996	Succeeded by Mike Piazza Barry Bonds Sammy Sosa
Preceded by Matt Williams	National League Home Run Champion 1995	Succeeded by Andrés Galarraga
Preceded by Jeff Bagwell	National League RBI Champion 1995	Succeeded by Andrés Galarraga
Preceded by Jeff Bagwell	National League Slugging Percentage Champion 1995	Succeeded by Ellis Burks

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Persondata
Name	Bichette, Dante
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	November 18, 1963
Place of birth	West Palm Beach, Florida
Date of death
Place of death