Boof…He’s Gone

In case you missed it — we did — Boof Bonser was designated for assignment by the Minnesota Twins on December 8th, and then traded to the Boston Red Sox on December 10th for a player to be named later.

Bonser posed with a wiffleball at Twins spring training in Fort Myers, Florida a couple of years ago.

Yes, Boof really is his first name. He was born John Paul Bonser, but legally changed his first name to Boof after the 2001 season.

Bonser was part of the famous trade with the San Francisco Giants that brought pitchers Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano to Minnesota for catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who is now with the Chicago White Sox.

In 2008, MLB.com picked Boof Bonser to have the best nickname in baseball. I agree, although the rest of the list is pretty weak.

Bonser has had his ups-and-downs in the Major Leagues. He missed all of 2009 after having surgery on his throwing arm. We thank Boof for taking the time to pose for our site and hope he comes back strong and pitches well next season.