| John Boccabella | |
|---|---|
| Catcher | |
| Born: June 29, 1941 San Francisco, California |
|
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 2, 1963 for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 19, 1974 for the San Francisco Giants | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .219 |
| Home runs | 26 |
| Runs batted in | 148 |
| Teams | |
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John Dominic Boccabella (born June 29, 1941) was a major league baseball catcher, infielder and outfielder during 1963-1974, with the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants.
Boccabella was signed by the Cubs in 1963 and assigned to the Pocatello Chiefs, a Cubs farm team in the Pioneer League. He was brought up to the major leagues at the end of the season, and despite hailing from San Francisco, the Cubs' radio announcers dubbed him "Boccabella from 'Pocatella'".
Boccabella was drafted from the Cubs by the Expos in the 1968 expansion draft, and it was here that his career blossomed as a "super-sub", and his name continued to draw attention. Public address announcer Claude Mouton would call attention to his name, at each at-bat, by enunciating each syllable with a florid style: "John... Boc-ca-BEL-la". Lou Brock's patented combination umbrella and hat paid witting or unwitting homage to this player also, being named the "Brock-a-brella".
After five seasons in Montreal, Boccabella was traded to the Giants for pitcher Don Carrithers. After one season with his hometown team, during which he batted just .138 in 29 games, Boccabella retired.