Washington Nationals’ prospect Jake Boone makes pro debut...

WASHINGTON - Bob Boone has made headlines recently as published reports having him resigning from the front office of the Nationals instead of taking part in the mandatory vaccine policy of the club.

Meanwhile, his grandson and the son of former big league infielder Bret Boone is in his first season at the pro level as the Boone family tries to become the first four-generation major league family.

Jake Boone, 22, the great-grandson of former Major League infielder Ray Boone, was a non-drafted free agent by Washington last year out of Princeton.

“He has been playing shortstop and second base,” Jeff Garber, a long-time infield instructor with the Nationals, told Federal Baseball about Boone on Friday. “He has done very well; he has made adjustments like anybody else has” as a first-year pro.

“He is a very smart player,” added Garber, an infielder at James Madison University in Virginia. “He has picked up on things and is very smart. He has had to learn some things about his internal clock on how much time he has on his reads. He has improved greatly throughout the year.”

At the plate, Boone was hitting .236 in his first 148 at-bats with seven steals and an OPS of .620 at Low-A Fredericksburg.

Boone had more college eligibility at Princeton but decided to turn pro last year, in part due to the uncertainty of the 2021 college season due to the pandemic.

The younger Boone doesn’t feel pressure to make the majors - and make history for his family.

“I get asked that all of the time – do I feel pressure to be this fourth-generation big leaguer? Honestly, I don’t feel the pressure. When I hear something like that I feel it’s just an amazing opportunity I have,” Jake Boone told Federal Baseball last year.