Buechele was 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]
Post-playing career
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 was the first base coach for the Texas Rangers from 2015 to 2018.
On November 14, 2018, it was announced that Buechele would be moving from his role as the first base coach, to be a special assistant in the baseball operations department of the Texas Rangers front office.[6]
