Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Bogar graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois and attended Eastern Illinois University, before being drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft.
A resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, Bogar completed his high school education at Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois and later studied at Eastern Illinois University. He was subsequently chosen by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft.