HOF Plaque- Scott Bucher

[recte44]

Born May 18, 1949 in the USA
Drafted in 6th round, 128th overall pick, by Vancouver in 1973 MBBA Dispersal Draft
Debut April 1, 1973

Won OCA Hitter of the Year Award in 1979
Won Slick Fielder Award in 1974, 1975
Was selected to the 1975, 1978, 1981 All-Star Games

Scott Bucher grew up in the burgeoning metropolis of Chicago, Illinois, but ultimately he would become a hero to millions in Canada.

Bucher was a high school star, as many pro players are. He was also a star in college, staying close to home at Illinois State and manning centerfield for the Redbirds where he was an honourable mention All-American twice, and a full All-American as a senior. He was drafted into the MLB, being selected by Baltimore in the 13th round of the 1971 draft. However Bucher wasn't happy with his position in the organization. He was viewed as a secondary prospect, and the club actually wanted to move him to shortstop which he wasn't a fan of.

Then in 1972 he heard about a new league forming called the MBBA, and requested to be released from his contract with the MLB's Orioles. They reluctantly agreed, mostly because they believed he would never become a star in any league. How wrong they were.

1973 came and with it the Initial MBBA Draft. The 24 year-old Bucher was selected in the 6th round by the Vancouver Mounties franchise, the 128th pick overall. Short-lived GM Terry Farrand felt that Bucher could be a real asset to the British Columbia club. Although he'd never been to Canada, Bucher was ecstatic to be involved in professional baseball and the 3-year, 4.31 million dollar contract he got didn't hurt either. He was extremely green as a rookie, posting a forgettable .320 OBP and looking indecisive in the outfield. He found his legs as a defender in 1974 when he captured the Slick Fielder award for the JL. His bat followed a year later where he hit .324/.383/.503, raising his OPS by 149 points and accounting for 28.0 OWS. He won his second straight Slick Fielder award that year in addition to posting 11 triples, 22 homers and 48 stolen bases as one of baseballs biggest all-around threats. He was also an All-Star for the first time in his career. His numbers dropped off the following season but he managed to maintain his defensive performance and set a career high (at the time) with 14 outfield assists. Despite that disappointing campaign he and the Mounties agreed to a six-year contract extension which would pay him 54 million dollars over the life of the contract. Payed like a star, it was time to play like a star for Bucher.

1977 saw his numbers jump back up again, cranking his OPS back to .819 with 20 homers and a personal best 73 stolen bases, in addition to playing error free defense in centerfield. '78 saw him really get back into the groove, hitting .328/.384/.515 and picking up 25.4 OWS to go with 11 triples, 21 homers and 69 stolen bases. He made his second All-Star appearance this season, finishing fourth in the league in slugging and OPS. His efforts helped the club to a pair of division titles in those '77 and '78 seasons, but the club couldn't get past the first round. 1979 saw what was probably the highlight of his individual career, despite the fact that the team finished third and his numbers dropped from '78. He was named Johnson League Hitter of the Year while posting a line of .311/.362/.536, socking 33 doubles, 12 triples and 26 homers with 64 stolen bases. He was second in slugging and OPS, first in XR, runs and total bases. Bucher was happy with his individual success but disappointed that the team couldn't seem to get over the hump. This was definitely the best 3-year stretch of his career, and he picked up a third of his career win-shares over those three seasons.

1980 brought injury and disappointment for Bucher. Vancouver was lousy, dropping below .500 for the first time since '75, and he missed a month with a back injury. Even when he played he wasn't himself particularly at the plate where he hit .258/.316/.400 in 120 games. He bounced back in '81 despite the fact that he seemed to have lost some of the pop in his bat. He made his third All-Star appearance but this one was very different as he was traded in early July to the Des Moines Kernels for a package of young players. Vancouver was rebuilding and felt that Bucher could bring the kind of prospects necessary to be successful in that.

It was not easy for Bucher to move on after eight and a half seasons as a Mountie, but he was already having a hot season and was excited to be heading to a team that was trying to contend. He put together one of his best seasons between the two clubs, posting a .321/.380/.501 line with 37 doubles and 16 triples. He stole 65 more bases as well, and helped lead Des Moines all the way to the LMS. Unfortunately despite Bucher hitting .300 in 12 games, the club was unceremoniously swept by the powerhouse Washington Bobwhites.

1982 saw injury and disappointment strike again, with Bucher missing almost half the season to another back injury. The reoccuring problems with his back seemed to be robbing Bucher of his jump and it noticably affected both his defense and his work at the plate. After the season Bucher decided to test free agency, signing with the Valencia Stars. He performed up to standard in the field, but his work at the plate was subpar (.254/.302/.378) and it didn't improve in 1983. He was traded from the Stars to the Louisville Sluggers where he hit well off the bench for the remainder of the season before retiring after 12 years in the MBBA.

His legacy was one of defense, speed and smarts at the plate. He's the leagues career leader in Defensive Win-Shares for centerfielders and probably got robbed out of a few Slick Fielder awards along the way. He struck out just once in every 9.87 at-bats and did his best to always put the ball in play. When healthy he was certainly one of the most dangerous all-around hitters in the MBBA. He's currently 13th in stolen bases (578), 20th in triples (98), 28th in hits (1766) and 28th in runs (976) and was one of the first-generation stars of this league.

He'll always be attached to the Vancouver franchise, and the man with the fitting moniker of Mr. Mountie had his jersey retired by the franchise before the 1989 season. Now he'll join his fellow greats in the MBBA Hall of Fame as well.

Plaque written by Ryan Scott