Steve Buechele
| Steve Buechele | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Buechele as manager for the Round Rock Express, triple-A affiliates of the Rangers, in 2014 | |||
| Texas Rangers – No. 24 | |||
| Third baseman / Bench coach | |||
|
Born: September 26, 1961 Lancaster, California | |||
| |||
| MLB debut | |||
| July 19, 1985, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| July 29, 1995, for the Texas Rangers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .245 | ||
| Home runs | 137 | ||
| Runs batted in | 547 | ||
| Teams | |||
Steven Bernard Buechele (born September 26, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Buechele played from 1985 to 1995 for the Texas Rangers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago Cubs. He joined the Rangers in 1985 after he was named the Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year.[1] He was traded from the Rangers to the Pirates in 1991 following the emergence of Dean Palmer. He returned to the Rangers for an eighth season in 1995.[2] He is currently the bench coach of the Texas Rangers.
Playing career
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1979 but did not sign. He was drafted again in 1982 by the Texas Rangers and spent several years in the minor leagues before breaking into the majors in 1985 with the Rangers. He had a career year in 1991 when he had a batting average of .267 along with 18 home runs and 66 RBI while only committing three errors for an MLB-record .991 fielding percentage at third base.[2] Although he did not fare as well in 31 games with the Pirates, hitting just .246, he still finished the year with career highs in hits, home runs, slugging percentage, RBI, and runs scored. He also made his only postseason appearances, hitting .304 for Pittsburgh in the 1991 National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Buechele's career stats include 137 home runs, 547 RBI, and a .971 fielding percentage. Throughout his career, Buechele was known for hitting solo home runs.[3]
Buechele ranks 12th in Rangers' club history for total games with 889 games played and 16th for at-bats (2723). Additionally, the 25 times he was hit by a pitch is the 13th highest in Rangers' franchise history and his 73 grounded into double plays is the 14th highest. In Rangers' fielding stats, he is 21st (2476) in total chances, 7th (1675) in assists, 15th (66) in errors, and 33rd (165) in double plays. He was a candidate for the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and 2006.[2][4]
Buechele continues to be a part of the professional baseball world, including serving as one of the hosts and coaches for the Texas Rangers 2006 Media Spring Training.[5] In August 2008, Buechele began to serve as a studio commentator for the Ranger's pre and post-game shows on Fox Sports Southwest. He is currently the bench coach of the Texas Rangers.
Personal life
Steve and his wife Nancy currently reside in Arlington, Texas. They have five children. His eldest son Garrett played baseball for the University of Oklahoma and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants 14th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, and his other son Tanner plays Baseball for Fullerton College. Steve has two daughters, Jordan and Amber, both of whom attend the University of Oklahoma. His youngest son, Shane, currently attends the University of Texas, where he plays quarterback for the Texas Longhorns.
At Stanford, his roommate was Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. He is a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
References
- ↑ "Diamond and Metcalf named Rangers Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year". 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
- 1 2 3 "2006 Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame ballot announced". 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
- ↑ Jamey Newberg (2005). "The Newberg Report". Retrieved 19 July 2006.
- ↑ "John Wetteland and Mark Holtz selected as 2005 inductees to Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame". 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2006.
- ↑ Abby Teaff (2006). "First Media Spring Training a success". Retrieved 19 July 2006.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)