Batting average .282 Role Baseball player Name Bruce Bochte | Runs batted in 658 Home runs 100 Education Santa Clara University | |
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Similar People Tom Paciorek, Dave Chalk, Mario Mendoza, Julio Cruz, Sid Monge | ||
Bruce Anton Bochte (born November 12, 1950) is a former utility baseball player with a 12-year career from 1974–1982, 1984-1986. He played for the California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's all of the American League. Bochte, a first baseman, outfielder and designated hitter, played collegiate ball for Santa Clara University until he was drafted in the second round (34th overall) of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft.
He was called up to the Angels after hitting .355 in 92 games for the Salt Lake City Angels of the Pacific Coast League, and made his major league debut on July 19, 1974. He spent the next four seasons with the Angels, hitting .272 during that span. On May 11, 1977, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with Sid Monge and cash for Dave LaRoche and Dave Schuler. After finishing 1977 with Cleveland, he became a free agent and signed with the Seattle Mariners, who he played with for the next five seasons.
Bochte was elected to the American League All-Star team in 1979 when he hit .316 with 100 RBIs and set career highs in virtually every major offensive category. He sat out the entire 1983 season in protest of what he considered to be excessive greed in professional sports.