Toronto Blue Jays hoping like father, like son with legacy prospects
Of the fathers on this list, Bichette is the least impressive – but that being said he was still an incredible ball player. The long time member of the Colorado Rockies did not have a Hall of Fame type career but in his 14 season career he maintained a .299 average to go with 274 long balls.
In 2007 he appeared on his first and last Hall of Fame ballot. The four time all star received only 0.6% of the vote that year, well below the five-percent needed to remain on the list.
Dante and his wife Mariana have two sons and both have been drafted by MLB teams. The eldest, Dante Bichette Jr. was taken 51st overall in 2011 by the New York Yankees. He has failed to make it to the majors, and he is currently at Double-A.
Like his older brother Bo got his name from a pretty good big league hitter. In an interview with the Jays Journal earlier this year, Bichette explained that the name comes from former MLB slugger Bo Jackson.
He also has a connection to current Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, as he practiced alongside him when his dad was a hitting coach with the Rockies.
The Jays picked Bo Bichette in the 2nd round, 66th overall in last year’s Draft. In his first season he put up video game like numbers batting .427, with a .451 OBP in 22 games for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays.
To start 2017 he was promoted to Lansing and has continued to excel batting .400 in 55 games.
Bichette has said he wants to stay at short but there is a belief that he will eventually be forced to play second.
He is only 19, but if he continues to demolish Single-A pitching he could move quickly through the Jays farm system.