Brian Phillip Buscher (born April 18, 1981), nicknamed "The Urban Legend," is a former

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), ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He served in 2011 as the undergraduate assistant coach for the

South Carolina Gamecocks baseball The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college baseball. South Carolina has perennially been one of the best teams in college baseball since 1970, posting 33 NCAA Tournament app ...

team.

Professional career

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 ...

in the 3rd round (93rd overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, Buscher spent 2003–2006 in the Giants farm system, reaching as high as Double-A with 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 ...

. In December 2006, he was taken by the Twins in the Rule 5 Draft. The Twins purchased his contract on July 26, 2007, and Buscher made his major league debut on July 27, 2007. Buscher finished the 2007 season with a .244 batting average, 2 home runs, and 10 runs batted in over the course of 33 games. During the 2008 season, Buscher did not make the opening day roster and started with the Twins' AAA affiliate

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 ...

. He was later called up to the Twins on April 20 and sent back on April 30 after batting .250 in 8 at-bats. Buscher was recalled again on June 12, taking former Twins reliever

Juan Rincón Juan Manuel Rincón (born January 23, 1979) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former relief pitcher. Rincón bats and throws right-handed. He throws a low 90s fastball and a mid to low 80s slider. In his career, Rincón posted a .208 ...

's roster spot.Twins to recall third baseman Brian Buscher , twinsbaseball.com: Official Info
/ref> At the time of his recall, Buscher was batting .328 (58-for-177) with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBI in 51 games for the Red Wings. Upon arriving in Minneapolis, Justin Morneau took Buscher under his wing, allowing him to stay at him apartment and showing him how things worked in the major leagues. After his June callup, Buscher replaced struggling veteran

Mike Lamb Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

as the everyday third baseman and earned the nickname "The Urban Legend" while batting .294 with 47 runs batted in over that stint. In 2009, Buscher played sparingly, appearing in 61 games, making 136 at-bats with a batting average of .235 and serving as a platoon DH alongside Brendan Harris. Buscher did not make the Twins 2009 playoff roster. He was outrighted off the 40-man on November 3, 2009, On December 2, 2009, Buscher signed a minor league deal with 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 ...

with an invitation to Spring Training. He did not make the major league club and was assigned to minor league camp on April 2. After spending the first half of the season with the Triple-A

Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, mercha ...

, Buscher was transferred to the Short-Season A

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were a M ...

on June 13. He was transferred back to the Clippers and released from the Indians' organization on June 29. He went on to be manager of the Columbia Blowfish.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buscher, Brian 1981 births Living people Minnesota Twins players Baseball players from Jacksonville, Florida Major League Baseball third basemen South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Hagerstown Suns players San Jose Giants players Norwich Navigators players Connecticut Defenders players New Britain Rock Cats players Rochester Red Wings players Columbus Clippers players College of Central Florida Patriots baseball players