Alan Paul Busenitz (born August 22, 1990) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

in the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

and in the

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB) for the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

Career

Los Angeles Angels

Busenitz attended

Athens Christian School Athens Christian School (ACS) is a private, non-denominational Christian school located in Athens, Georgia, United States. History In the late 1960s, the Christian school movement in America began to grow at a rapid pace. At this time, Buhl an ...

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, and

Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University (KSU) is a public research university located in the state of Georgia with two different campuses in the Atlanta metropolitan area, one in Kennesaw and the other in Marietta on a combined of land. The school was fou ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Kennesaw State Owls The Kennesaw State Owls fields 17 varsity athletics teams, competing for Kennesaw State University. After spending ten years in Division II's Peach Belt Conference, the university fully transitioned to Division I status in the National Collegi ...

. The

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

selected him in the 25th round of the 2013 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the rookie ball

Orem Owlz The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home o ...

, logging a 5–2 record and 2.33 ERA in 21 appearances. The next year, Busenitz played for the Single-A

Burlington Bees The Burlington Bees are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Prospect League. They are located in Burlington, Iowa, and have played their home games at Community Field since 1947. Founded in 1889, the Bees played in Minor League Baseball' ...

, pitching to a 4–5 record and 1.94 ERA in 49 games. In 2015, the Angels tried to use Busenitz as a starting pitcher with the Double-A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

, but returned to using him as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

with the High-A

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchise ...

after he struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 16 contests. In 2016, the Angels promoted Busenitz to the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. In 10 games for Salt Lake, Busenitz struggled to a 7.62 ERA, and also logged a 1.93 ERA in 24 appearances for Arkansas.

Minnesota Twins

On August 1, 2016, The Angels traded Busenitz to the

alongside

Hector Santiago Hector Santiago or Héctor Santiago may refer to: * Hector Santiago (baseball) (born 1987), American professional baseball pitcher * Héctor Santiago (playwright) (born 1944), Cuban playwright See also * Héctor Santiago-Colón {{Human name di ...

in exchange for Alex Meyer and

Ricky Nolasco Carlos Enrique Nolasco (born December 13, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Angels. He is of ...

. Busenitz finished the year with the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

of the Triple-A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

and the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

, posting a 2–0 record with 10 strikeouts. Busenitz began the 2017 season with Rochester, and pitched to a 1.25

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

in his first

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

of the season. On June 17, 2017, he was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut that day, pitching 2.0 innings of 1-run ball against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. He finished his rookie season with a neat 1.99 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched across 28 contests. In 2018, Busenitz could not replicate his success from the previous year, struggling to a 4–1 record and 7.82 ERA in 23 major league appearances. He was granted his unconditional release on November 20, 2018, so he could sign with a team in

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

On November 20, 2018, Busenitz signed with the

of Japan's

(NPB). In his first NPB season, Busenitz logged a 4–3 record and stellar 1.94 ERA in 54 appearances for Rakuten. On December 3, 2019, Busenitz signed a 1-year extension to remain with the Eagles. By 2022, Busenitz had pitched in 165 games for the Eagles, recording a 9–8 record and 2.83 ERA in 155.2 innings pitched.

Cincinnati Reds

On December 27, 2022, Busenitz signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Busenitz, Alan 1990 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Burlington Bees players Chattanooga Lookouts players Georgia Perimeter Jaguars baseball players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Kennesaw State Owls baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Solar Sox players Minnesota Twins players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Orem Owlz players People from Watkinsville, Georgia Rochester Red Wings players Salt Lake Bees players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players