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Raymond Otis Boone (July 27, 1923 – October 17, 2004) was an American professional baseball infielder and scout who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). Primarily a third baseman and shortstop, he was a two-time American League All-Star ( and ), and led his league in runs batted in with 116 in . He batted and threw right-handed and was listed as tall and .
Boone was born in San Diego, California, and attended San Diego's Hoover High School. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. His son, Bob Boone, and grandsons, Bret Boone and Aaron Boone, also played in MLB.
After the 1942 season, Boone enlisted in the United States Navy during World War II, putting his baseball career on hold. During the next three years, Boone served at the San Diego Naval Training Center. The training center had a baseball team, which Boone played for on the weekends alongside Bob Lemon and George Vico, both future major leaguers.
During the 1947 season, the Indians transferred Boone to the Double-A Texas League in Oklahoma City. In 1947 he played in 130 games, serving as catcher for more than 100 of them. Boone batted .264, producing 48 RBIs and four home runs in 402 plate appearances. Toward the end of the 1947 season, Boone was asked to play shortstop, which he did for more than 20 games.
In 1948, Boone traveled to Tucson, Arizona for the Indians’ spring training. At this time, Boone was given the option by Lou Boudreau, of being a backup shortstop in the major leagues or the starting shortstop in the minors. Boone initially decided to play in the majors, but after sitting on the bench for three weeks, he made the transition back to the minors as a backup. In 87 games in the Texas League, Boone batted .353 over 318 at-bats, producing 48 RBIs, 16 doubles, nine triples, and three home runs.
Boone debuted in the major leagues on September 3, 1948, when he was called up by the Cleveland Indians. That year, he went on to play in his first World Series. In the eighth inning of game five, Boone was sent in to pinch hit. He struck out swinging against Warren Spahn. During the 1948 World Series, the Indians defeated the Boston Braves in six games.
In 1949, Boone played his first full rookie season. Playing in 86 games with a batting average of .252. During the 1950 season, Boone batted .301, producing 58 RBIs and seven home runs. Boone's batting average dropped to .233 in the 1951 season, with an increase in appearances. He produced 12 home runs and 51 RBIs over 151 games, with 544 plate appearances. During that year, Boone's home runs ranked second among league shortstops. His RBIs ranked third among league shortstops.
In 1952, Boone's batting average was .263. He sustained multiple injuries that year, including a torn ligament in the left knee. In August 1952, Boone committed six errors over four games. On August 24, during a game with the Washington Senators, Boone's two errors resulted in six unearned runs. The Senators won the game and the Indians dropped in league rankings to fall behind the New York Yankees.
The Tigers switched Boone from shortstop (then occupied by the future Rookie of the Year Harvey Kuenn) to third base. Boone's first game with the Tigers was on June 16, 1953, in Fenway Park. The Tigers won 5–3 over the Red Sox. During the game, Boone fielded six times without error. He produced one go-ahead home run against pitcher Sid Hudson in the seventh inning, along with two walks, a double, and a single. The rest of the 1953 season, Boone hit four grand slams, tying the major league record at the time. That year, Boone produced 93 RBIs.
Ahead of the 1954 season, Boone signed a new contract with the Tigers for $25,000. That contract made him the highest paid player on the team. In 1954, Boone batted .295, and produced 85 RBIs and 20 home runs. He was voted into the 1954 MLB All-Star Game, in which he batted sixth and hit a home run.
Over 135 games and 500 plate appearances during the 1955 season, Boone batted .284, hit 20 home runs, and produced 116 runs. Boone hit a career high in RBIs, which tied him for first place in the American League with Jackie Jensen.
In 1956, Boone batted .306. He produced 81 RBIs and 25 home runs. Boone experienced worsening health problems, and had to make multiple trips to medical clinics to receive cortisone shots in his knees. Because of his knee problems, manager Jack Tighe moved Boone from third to first base. During the 1957 season, Boone batted .273, producing 65 RBIs and 12 home runs. He played four games at third and 117 at first.
During the first three months of the 1958 season, Boone batted .237.
On August 24, 1960, Boone underwent back surgery. His career as a professional baseball player came to an end.
Boone's scouting territory included all of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as California south of Laguna Beach. The scouting job involved studying players at high school and college games, as well as college development league games, minor league games, and Padres games.
Regarding his determination on whether to recommend a particular prospect to the Red Sox, Boone said, “I don’t worry if a kid gets four hits in a game. I want to see the basic tools--his arm, his swing and his fielding. I want to know if this kid can improve. A kid can’t go out there and be lackadaisical and flip the ball around and think somebody is going to be interested.”
In 1973, Boone was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing field.
He was well known as the leader of the local San Diego National Lumberjack Association chapter.http://espn.go.com/articles/archive/2002/view=48838.asp?http://sportsline.cbs.com/mlb/pageView=499200dr&Sect=48
Boone was a descendant of American pioneer Daniel Boone.
Boone is buried in El Camino Memorial Park in San Diego, California.
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