He finished the Rockies' first season with 21 home runs and a .310 batting average, his personal best for both at the time. Bichette also hit his first home run at the newly constructed Coors Field, a 14th-inning smash against the Mets that secured an opening day victory for the Rockies in 1995. Bichette had his best season in 1995, coming very close to the Triple Crown with a .340 batting average, 40 home runs and 128 RBIs and barely lost the MVP voting to the Cincinnati Reds' Barry Larkin.
Bichette, 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall and weighing 215 pounds (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb), began having knee problems in 1996, but was still successful as a hitter, with a .316 average, 31 home runs and 141 RBIs, plus 31 stolen bases. The 1996 season was only the second time ever that two players on the same team hit at least 30 home runs and collected 30 stolen bases, as Ellis Burks accomplished the same feat. Over the next three seasons, Bichette hit 26, 22 and 34 home runs for the Rockies. He remains in the top ten in many offensive categories for the Rockies.[1] On June 10, 1998, Bichette became the first player to hit for the cycle in an interleague game, when he accomplished the feat against the Texas Rangers, capping it off with a walk-off single to win the game for the Rockies in 10 innings.[2][3]
By the end of the 1999 season, his production was beginning to drop and the Rockies dealt Bichette to the Cincinnati Reds. However, his fielding was suffering tremendously and Bichette was eventually traded to the Boston Red Sox[8] for a season and a half and then the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bichette retired before ever playing a game with the Dodgers, on March 22, 2002.
In August 2004, Bichette rejoined professional baseball as a designated hitter, pitcher and occasional outfielder for the Atlantic League's Nashua Pride. Bichette won the Atlantic League's Player of the Month award for August (his first full month back). He completed the month with a .361 average and 13 homers. On August 28, he batted 4-for-5 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
Coaching career
On November 13, 2012, Bichette was hired to be the Colorado Rockies hitting coach, replacing Carney Lansford.[9] He announced on September 24, 2013 that he would not return for the 2014 season.[10]
On July 24, 2020, it was confirmed during the opening game of the Toronto Blue Jays season that Bichette had been added to the Jays coaching staff full-time after the summer camp.[11]
On February 4, 2021, it was announced that Bichette would be reassigned as a special assistant within the Blue Jays' organization "to continue to have an impact throughout multiple levels of the organization."[12] On February 9, 2022, Bichette left his position with the Blue Jays so he could train with his son, Bo. Due to the ongoing 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout, Bichette had been unable to train with Bo and prioritized family over his position.[13]
In 1992, Bichette was arrested in Palm Beach County after reports of a domestic dispute with his pregnant girlfriend, Mariana Peng. Police responded to another incident involving Bichette and Peng the following year at his off-season home in Palm Beach Gardens.[15]
