Mariners Give Boone, 43, a Chance to Keep Playing

Convinced that he can still compete at 43, Bob Boone will have the chance to prove it in a tryout this spring with the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners, looking for a backup catcher, will provide Boone with expense money. Otherwise, he said from his Orange County home Wednesday, there is no commitment.

“It’s basically a look for them and a look for me,” Boone said. “At some point they’ll either offer me a contract or say they’re not interested.

“I still feel I can play and still have the desire. It’s been disheartening to see people sign who I know I can outplay.”

Boone, whose 2,225 games at catcher are No. 1 on the all-time list, spent nine seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, seven with the Angels and two with the Kansas City Royals. He broke a finger last May, missed 10 weeks and appeared in only 40 games as the Royals went with their catcher of the future, Mike Macfarlane.

Boone, a free agent, said he has received no other offers but that Seattle would have been his first choice because of a desire to work with some of the league’s best young pitchers.

Boone’s son, Bret, is a highly regarded second baseman in the Seattle farm system, but the possibility of playing with him at the major league level did not significantly influence his desire to keep playing, Boone said.

“I want to play only because I believe I still can,” Boone said. “If I can’t, I’ll be the first to know it and accept it.”