| Chris Bando | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1956-02-04)February 4, 1956 (age 69) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 13, 1981, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 1, 1989, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .227 |
| Home runs | 27 |
| Runs batted in | 142 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Christopher Michael Bando (born February 4, 1956) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher. He played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) in the 1980s, spending most of his career with theCleveland Indians before playing for theDetroit Tigers andOakland Athletics.[1] He managed theTexas AirHogs of theAmerican Association of Independent Professional Baseball.
Born inCleveland, Ohio, Bando attendedArizona State University, where he playedcollege baseball for theArizona State Sun Devils baseball team. He hit the game winninghome run in the championship game of the1977 College World Series (CWS).[2] He was chosen as the bestcatcher in the CWS during the 1970s.[3]
In the1978 MLB draft, Bando was selected by the Cleveland Indians as their second round pick.[1] He began his minor league career that year with theChattanooga Lookouts, batting .228 with fourhome runs and 21runs batted in (RBIs) in 76 games.[4] Bando also spent the following two seasons with the Lookouts, Cleveland's AA affiliate. In 1979, he played in only 21 games, posting a .242batting average and driving in seven runs. His number of appearances jumped by a hundred the next year, as he saw action in 121 games for Chattanooga in 1980. His batting average also rose significantly, as he hit .349 for the season, while homering 12 times and collecting 73 RBIs.[4]
In 1981, Bando played in 96 games for Cleveland's triple-A team, theCharleston Charlies. He batted .306, connected for 11 home runs and drove in 45 runners.[4] Bando saw his first Major League action that fall. In 21 games for Cleveland, he had a .213 batting average and was the team's starting catcher eight times.[1]
For the 1982 season, Bando remained with the Indians. In his second year in the majors, his batting average (.212) was nearly the same as it had been the previous year. Bando played in 66 games, connected for three home runs and drove in 16 runs.[1] His first Major League homer came on July 9, when he hit a two-run shot off Seattle'sFloyd Bannister.[5]
In his third Major League season, Bando saw his batting average jump to .256 in 48 games of action.[1] He hit four home runs, three of which came in June,[5] and he totaled 15 RBIs. He was also caught stealing in his first Major League stolen base attempt.[1]
In 1984, Bando appeared in the Indians starting lineup as catcher 59 times. He posted a .291 batting average, 12 home runs and 41 RBIs, all of which were his MLB career-highs.[1] He also appeared in 29 games for theMaine Guides, Cleveland's AAA affiliate.[4]
Bando's offensive numbers dropped substantially in 1985, as he batted .139 with no homers and 13 RBIs in 73 games for Cleveland.[1]
In 1986, Bando saw action in a career-high 92 games for the Indians. His batting average jumped to .268, he hit two home runs and he drove in 26 runs.[1]
The following season, Bando's average dropped to .218 in 89 games. He had five homers and 16 RBIs.[1]
Bando began 1988 with Cleveland, but he was released in August after batting .125 in 32 games. He joined theDetroit Tigers in September and saw action in one game. Bando also made a single appearance with theOakland Athletics the following year. It was the final game of his Major League career.[1]
Bando has over 30 years in professional baseball and player development, where he has ample experience as a player, scout, coach, and manager. He spent 10 years as a Minor League manager for theMilwaukee Brewers andCleveland Indians and was voted the Best Minor League Managing Prospect byBaseball America in 1994 and in 1995 was voted the #2 Manager Prospect by Major League General Managers. Bando's career record as an affiliated Minor League manager is 561–500.[1] Bando was formerly the manager of theAiken Foxhounds of theSouth Coast League in 2007,[6] the league's only year of operation. For three years he served as the Third Base coach and Bench coach for theMilwaukee Brewers and he also was the manager of theWashington Wild Things of the independentFrontier League in 2012. Bando has also been a Major League pro scout for theMilwaukee Brewers and an Advanced scout for theArizona Diamondbacks.
Chris is the brother ofSal Bando.[7] Chris attendedSolon High School inSolon, Ohio.
