Brian Burres (born April 8, 1981) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

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 ...

. Burres' best pitch is his

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

. He also has a high 80s-low 90 MPH

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

and a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

. He 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

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

and in the

CPBL The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

for the

Lamigo Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly First Financial Holdings Agan (, abbreviated ), La New Bears () and then the Lamigo Monkeys (), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administer ...

High school and collegiate career

Burres attended Sam Barlow High School in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, where he was named both Conference Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year in 1999, his senior year. Burres went on to play at

Mount Hood Community College Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is a public community college in Gresham, Oregon, United States, named after Mount Hood. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls around 30,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, as well as ...

, being drafted by the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

after one year.

Professional career

San Francisco Giants

Burres was originally drafted by the

in the 31st round (931st overall) of the 2000 MLB draft. He was in the Giants' system for three years. Following the 2005 season, the Giants signed utility

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

José Vizcaíno José Luis Vizcaíno Pimental (born March 26, 1968) is a Dominican former professional baseball player. He was a backup infielder for most of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career. He, along with Darryl Strawberry and Ricky Ledée, are the on ...

. They made room for Vizcaíno on the roster by designating Burres for assignment. He pitched for the

Connecticut Defenders The Connecticut Defenders were a Minor League Baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 ...

prior to being designated. He was later released.

Baltimore Orioles

On January 6, 2006, Burres was claimed off waivers by the

. He never cleared waivers, so the Orioles released him. Six days later, he was assigned to Triple-A

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. On September 8, 2006, Burres made his major league debut with the Orioles, allowing two earned runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. He spent most of the 2006 season with Triple-A Ottawa, going 10–6 with a 3.76 ERA in 26 starts with the Lynx. He was promoted to the Orioles for most of the 2007 season, finishing the season 6–8 with a 5.95 ERA in 37 games (17 starts). Burres was named the fifth starter in the Orioles rotation to open the 2008 season, after a competition in

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with teammate

Matt Albers Matthew James Albers (born January 20, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Chicag ...

. On February 2, , Burres was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Rich Hill. Brian Burres, Las Vegas

Toronto Blue Jays

On February 4, 2009, Burres was claimed by the

. Burres spent spring training 2009 with Toronto, and was assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. With Toronto dealing with early-season injuries to several pitchers, Burres was recalled to the majors by the Jays on April 24, 2009, and made his first appearance for Toronto the next day, starting on the road against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

. He wound up as the losing pitcher, but held the White Sox to two runs through the first four innings, before struggling in the fifth inning, when he left the game. Jays' manager

Cito Gaston Clarence Edwin "Cito" Gaston (; born March 17, 1944) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. His major league career as a player lasted from 1967 to 1978, most notably with the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He spent his en ...

stated that Burres would remain in the rotation until several of Toronto's injured pitchers make their return to active duty.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On January 4, 2010, Burres signed a minor league contract with the

with an invite to spring training. He was non-tendered after the season. On January 3, 2011, Burres re-signed with the Pirates on another minor league deal.

Return to San Francisco

On December 19, 2011, Burres returned to his original team, the San Francisco Giants, signing a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

Lamigo Monkeys

On February 4, 2013, after little interest from MLB and NPB teams, Burres signed with the

of the

in Taiwan.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

After pitching the previous season in Taiwan and not receiving a major league offer, Burres signed a contract to pitch for the with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseba ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

Colorado Rockies

On June 9, 2014, Burres signed a minor league contract with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

Burres re-signed with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs for the 2015 season. He became a free agent after the 2015 season, and re-signed with the Blue Crabs on April 5, 2016. He became a free agent after the 2016 season.

Personal life

Brian has an identical twin brother, Greg, who resides in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. Brian is the son of Nancy and Kirk, and has two other brothers, Kevin and Patrick. Brian married Lacy on the July 14, 2014, episode of '' Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta''. Brian competes every year in the prestigious “Battle for the Boot” golf tournament held at Bandon Dunes and has won three times (2012, 2016, 2022).

References

External links

, o
CPBL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burres, Brian 1981 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Arizona League Giants players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Oregon Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Fresno Grizzlies players Hagerstown Suns players Indianapolis Indians players Lamigo Monkeys players Las Vegas 51s players Major League Baseball pitchers Mesa Solar Sox players Mt. Hood Saints baseball players Naranjeros de Hermosillo players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Norfolk Tides players Norwich Navigators players Ottawa Lynx players Pittsburgh Pirates players Salem-Keizer Volcanoes players San Jose Giants players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players Sportspeople from Oregon City, Oregon Toronto Blue Jays players