Sal Bando played third baseman in the Major Leagues for 16 years following his collegiate career at ASU.
He was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics during the sixth round of the 1965 amateur draft, and debuted the next season as a 22-year-old rookie. During his first two seasons, Bando would appear in 58 games batting at a line of .208/.299/.273.
In 1968, the Athletics relocated to Oakland, and during that same year, Bando became the team's everyday third baseman. As his play time increased dramatically, so did his contribution. Bando started every game in both 1968 and 1969, and improved his line to .