John Boccabella

John Dominic Boccabella (born June 29, 1941) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1974 with the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. He attended college at the University of Santa Clara where, he was a member of the Santa Clara Broncos baseball team that made it to the final of the 1962 College World Series before losing to the Michigan Wolverines baseball team.

Major League career

His performance earned him a promotion to the major leagues where he made his debut as a first baseman with the Cubs on September 2, 1963 at the age of 22.

With the arrival in September 1973 of highly rated Expos' first round draft choice Barry Foote, Boccabella was traded to the Giants on March 27, 1974 for pitcher Don Carrithers after five seasons in Montreal. After one season with his hometown team, during which he batted just .138 in 29 games, Boccabella retired at the age of 33.