Gary Boone became Mesa State's ace, saw one pro season

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Young players from around the west traveled to Mesa State College for a baseball camp in June 1989 to learn the game from coaches and players there, including player Gary Boone, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel wrote.

Boone, a pitcher at the school, worked with the 11- and 12-year-olds, to teach baseball fundamentals, The Daily Sentinel wrote.

"Some of the kids are more advanced than others, so you have to adjust sometimes when you're trying to teach a certain aspect of the game," Boone told The Daily Sentinel. "But the main thing is that they're all having fun."

Boone had enough fun at Mesa State, and did well enough, to turn pro. His pro career, however, was limited to a single season, with independent Salt Lake City.

Boone's pro career began and ended in 1990, signed by Salt Lake City out of Mesa State.

Boone went to Mesa State after transferring from Cochise Community College. With Cochise, he made it to the 1988 Junior College World Series. 

With Mesa State, Boone threw a three-hitter in an March 1989 game after some first-inning trouble, The Daily Sentinel wrote.

"I wasn't hitting the right spots in the first inning," Boone told The Daily Sentinel. "As the game wore on, I got into a rhythm and really felt good. The key for me was getting ahead of the hitters."

He then became the team's most valuable player in spring 1990, pitching a team record 97 innings and going 8-6.

With Salt Lake City in 1990, Boone picked up a relief win in a July game as he went four innings and gave up one run. 

Overall, Boone went 2-3 for Salt Lake City, with a 5.40 ERA in 20 relief appearances, marking the extent of his pro career.


1990 Minor League Tally 
Players/Coaches Featured:4,460
Made the Majors:1,424-31.9
Never Made Majors:3,036-68.1%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors:577
10+ Seasons in the Minors:356

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