Brett Bonvechio, 18, a former Prospect High School and West Valley College student, signed with the Boston Red Sox.




Photograph courtesy of West Valley College







Former West Valley star shooting for the majors

By Rebecca Ray

Last year, Brett Bonvechio admired major league baseball players Manny Ramirez, Nomar Garciaparra and Craig Grebeck from afar. Now, the Boston Red Sox players treat Bonvechio like he's one of them.

Bonvechio, 18, who attended West Valley College in 2000-2001, signed a six-year, six-figure contract with the Red Sox. The third baseman signed the contract in May, half an hour after the West Valley baseball team won the Coast Conference Championship.

In 2001, Bonvechio was named Most Valuable Player of the Coast Conference and Most Valuable Offensive Player in California. He also earned a spot on the All-America team.

"He has a world of upside to his abilities," West Valley baseball coach Mike Perez said. According to Perez, Bonvechio is one of the best players West Valley has had in the last five years. The school has had four MVPs, including Bonvechio, and a lot of players have signed contracts with professional teams.

Although Bonvechio has yet to play in a major league game, Perez said it wouldn't surprise him in the least if he made the Red Sox major league team. Perez described Bonvechio as a tremendous player--a power hitter and worthy competitor with commendable size (6 feet 1 inch, 190 pounds), attitude, fielding skill and a good eye. Even if Bonvechio experiences growing pains, the Red Sox will stick with him, Perez predicted, because he has such potential and will continue to improve.

Bonvechio plays for the Fort Myers Red Sox, the franchise's minor league team for rookies, in Fort Myers, Fla. Red Sox franchise officials have expressed hope that he'll reach the franchise's major league team by the time he's 21, Bonvechio said.

Bonvechio had batted .217 in 19 games before he broke his thumb fielding a ground ball in mid-July. In August, his team finished first in the Southern Division of the Gulf Coast League. "To be sidelined when my team needed me most was very hard," said Bonvechio, whose injury has healed enough for him to play again.

In addition to being a star player at West Valley, Bonvechio was a stand-out at Prospect High School. As a senior, Bonvechio was named Senior of the Year for the Blossom Valley League and First Team All-Mercury News as a shortstop. He made First Team All-League all four years.

Naturally, Bonvechio was excited when the Red Sox drafted him. The franchise recruited him around the time he graduated high school in June 2000. Bonvechio, who has played baseball since he was 4, grew up dreaming of playing in the majors. "Just to have that chance was the best feeling in the world," he said.

According to Bonvechio's mother, Rochelle, one of Bonvechio's first words was "ball." His interest in sports peaked his interest in various subjects in school and helped him excel academically, Rochelle Bonvechio said. His desire to know the locations of professional sports teams helped him learn geography. Learning how games were scored enabled him to learn math. In high school, he took honors classes and graduated with a 3.65 GPA.

Bonvechio likes playing shortstop better than third base because of the involvement in every play. He said, however, he would like to play third base for the Red Sox at Fenway Park because of the important role third basemen play in driving in runs.

Bonvechio's ultimate goal is to start for the Red Sox and have a successful major league career. He says he hopes the franchise eventually renews his contract. He also says he hopes to meet and play against his all-time favorite slugger, Ken Griffey Jr., who plays outfield for the Cincinnati Reds.

When Bonvechio isn't playing baseball, he likes to play basketball and spend time with his friends.

Bonvechio's brother, Kyle, 16, also enjoys playing baseball and basketball, and plays both sports for Prospect.

Bonvechio's parents, who live in Santa Clara, met at West Valley in 1973. His father, Mark, played on the college basketball team, and Rochelle kept score for Mark's games.

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