peT e Bazan

Baseball

P-SJ-A High School, ‘77 Chicago Cubs

He advanced as far as almost any Valley native, playing 274 games in the American minor leagues and playing AAA ball in parts of two seasons. A lefthanded swinger who starred as a catcher for P-SJ-A High School (Class of 1977), Pete Bazan was a minor league teammate of several future major leaguers from 1979 to 1982, including future American League MVP Willie Hernandez.

Bazan was a three-time All-District player for the Bears and two-time AllConference selection at Central Arizona College. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs on the 6th round in 1979, and played at the highest level of the minors with Wichita and Iowa. After his American minor league career, the Valley native became an All-Star in the Mexican League.

In 10 seasons as a pro, Bazan compiled a gaudy .309 career batting average. He drove in 46 runs for Salinas (California League) in 1982.