Brian Bixler
| Brian Bixler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Houston Astros | |
| Infield/Outfield | |
| Born: October 22, 1982 Sandusky, Ohio |
|
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| April 6, 2008 for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Career statistics (through 2011) |
|
| Batting average | .187 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 7 |
| Teams | |
|
|
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men’s baseball | ||
Competitor for  United States |
||
| Baseball World Cup | ||
| Gold | 2007 Tianmu | National team |
Brian Joseph Bixler (born October 22, 1982 in Sandusky, Ohio) is a Major League Baseball player who primarily plays shortstop, although he has played seven different positions in his major league career. He currently plays for the Houston Astros.
Contents |
[edit] College career
Bixler attended college at Eastern Michigan. Bixler also played in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League for the Delaware Cows.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Pittsburgh Pirates
Bixler was Pittsburgh's second-round pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft. He spent 2004 in the short-season New York - Penn League playing for the Williamsport Crosscutters. He spent his first full professional season with the Class-A Hickory Crawdads. In 2006, Bixler played for both the High-A Lynchburg Hillcats and the Double-A Altoona Curve. He was invited to spring training by the Pirates in 2007, batting .359 with a .970 OPS. [1] In 2007, Bixler played for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, and was named the team's most valuable player. On November 20, 2007, the Pirates purchased his contract, protecting Bixler from the Rule 5 Draft.
[edit] 2008
Bixler did not make the Pirates' opening day roster in 2008, but received a call-up on April 6 when Jack Wilson was placed on the disabled list.[1] That same day, Bixler made his major league debut against the Florida Marlins as a pinch hitter and struck out in his only at bat.
He spent the majority of the season in Indianapolis, but made several short appearances for the Pirates. On September 2, he was recalled again when the rosters expanded. He got into 50 games that year, with a .423 OPS.
[edit] 2009
Bixler attended spring training, but was reassigned to AAA (Indianapolis Indians) on March 30.
He was recalled to Pittsburgh in late April after Jack Wilson was placed on the disabled list. In 8 games with Pittsburgh, he batted .200. He was optioned back to AAA when Wilson returned from injury.
After the June call-ups of AAA outfielders Steven Pearce, Garrett Jones and Jeff Salazar to Pittsburgh, Bixler began to see playing time in center field due to the shortage of players on the roster.
Bixler was again recalled to Pittsburgh in mid-August. He got into 18 games that year, with a .602 OPS.
[edit] Clevland Indians
[edit] 2010
On January 18, Bixler was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Jesus Brito.[2] He was designated for assignment by the Indians on March 17, 2010 to make room on the 40-man roster for Anderson Hernández, and was subsequently sent outright to the minors. While in the Indians' organization, he played 64 games for the AAA Columbus Clippers.
[edit] Return to the Pirates
[edit] 2010
On July 11, he was traded back to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 11 games for AAA Indianapolis.
[edit] Washington Nationals
[edit] 2010
On August 7, 2010 the Pirates sold Bixler to the Washington Nationals.[3] He played in 27 games for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs.
[edit] 2011
Bixler re-signed with the Nationals following the 2010 season[3] and had his contract purchased on April 22, 2011.[4] He got into 79 games with the Nationals, with a .532 OPS.
[edit] Houston Astros
The Houston Astros claimed Bixler off waivers from the Nationals on November 3, 2011 but they Designated him for assignment on December 14.
[edit] 2007 Team USA
Brian Bixler was named as one of the 24 players that would be part of Team USA in the 2007 IBAF World Cup. He had a .160 BA with a double and 5 walks in 9 games. The USA won gold in Taiwan.
[edit] References
- ^ Langosch, Jenifer (2008-04-06). "Bucs place Wilson on the 15-day DL". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080406&content_id=2497562&vkey=news_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
- ^ Castrovince, Anthony (2010-01-18). "Tribe acquires Bixler from Pirates". MLB.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100118&content_id=7933158&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ a b Nationals re-signed SS Brian Bixler to a minor league contract, Rotoworld.
- ^ Bixler called up by Nats, Rotoworld.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- 1982 births
- Living people
- Pittsburgh Pirates players
- Washington Nationals players
- Baseball players from Ohio
- Eastern Michigan Eagles baseball players
- Major League Baseball shortstops
- People from Sandusky, Ohio
- Williamsport Crosscutters players
- Hickory Crawdads players
- Lynchburg Hillcats players
- Altoona Curve players
- Indianapolis Indians players
- Syracuse Chiefs players
