Topic: Boof Bonser

Boof Bonser (born John Paul Bonser on October 14, 1981 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He legally changed his name to Boof after the 2001 season. MLB.com listed Boof as the best current nickname in baseball.

Bonser attended Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. In four years he compiled a record of 24-9 and a 1.99 ERA. In his senior year, he went 7-3, 1.88 and hit .523 with 11 home runs. He was named the 2000 Pinellas County (FL) High School Player of the Year and played in the 2000 Florida State All-Star game.

Bonser was selected out of high school by the San Francisco Giants in the first round (21st overall) of the 2000 amateur draft. Bonser made his professional baseball debut at age 18 for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. In 2001, he had a breakout season for the Hagerstown Suns, leading the South Atlantic League in wins (16), and finishing second in strikeouts (178), which earned him South Atlantic League Most Valuable Pitcher and Post-Season All-Star honors. It was after this season that Bonser legally changed his name from John Paul to Boof, a nickname he had had since childhood.