End Of The Line: Mark Buehrle

End Of The Line is an occasional offseason series that will take a closer look at the career of DMBL players leaving the league after the 2016 season. Today, we look at Mark Buehrle, who burst on the scene in 2002.

Like Tim Hudson, Buehrle was a free agent much of 2016 but unlike Hudson, he actually saw some action. His final season won't be anything folks will remember. In 13 starts for Livingston, he went 5-5 in 88 2/3 innings, with a 3.96 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, and of course 2 Buehrle-like complete games. It was his rookie season that people will talk about, along with his consistency over 13 seasons as an innings-eater.

Buehrle was the 3rd overall pick in what was a stacked 2002 draft, selected after Albert Pujols and Roy Oswalt and ahead of Joel Pineiro. Also taken in the 1st round that year were Alfonso Soriano (9th) and Roy Halladay (11th).

Must be a Crusaders fan

The "burly" left-hander (get it?) never matched his rookie season with the Columbia Crusaders when he went 18-9 with a 2.32 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 224 2/3 innings. He lost out to Pineiro by a single point in the Pat Listach Rookie of the Year Award voting, tying Pujols for 2nd. Yet Buehrle still managed to nab the McDonald Award as the top pitcher, ahead of Pineiro and Pedro Martinez.

Buehrle notched double-digit wins in each of his first four seasons in Columbia, making 31+ starts per year, and routinely logging 200 innings, including a career-high 229 1/3 in his sophomore season. He also logged double-digit losses in 8 seasons.

Buehrle had a consistent and solid DMBL career despite never winning more than 14 after his breakout rookie year.

After four seasons in Columbia, Buehrle found himself with the DC Bushslappers to start 2006 before they dealt him, along with a 10th rounder, to Vancouver for a 3rd and a 6th pick. He finished 2006 with a flourish after the deadline deal. In just 11 starts, he went 9-1 with a 3.56 ERA and 1.14 WHIP for the Iron Fist.

At the end of that season, Vancouver shipped him to Las Vegas straight up for Pat Burrell but a funny thing happened on the way to the protected lists. Las Vegas didn't end up protecting Buehrle and instead DC selected him in the 11th round of the 2007 draft. He spent all season in the DC farm system, never making a start, and in January 2008, the Bushslappers sent him to the Honolulu Sharks with a 3rd round pick for C Brian McCann. Buehrle tagged along when the franchise moved from Honolulu to Tampa Bay in 2008 to become the Plunkers.

After one season in Tampa, he ended up in Amityville though he never made a start for them before getting cut ahead of the 2009 season. Hoboken signed him as a free agent to take the roster spot of the late prospect Nick Adenhart and and protected him heading into the 2010 season. At the trade deadline that year, the Cutters unloaded him on Blue Ridge for an 11th rounder in 2011 and a 5th in 2012.

After his tenure in Blue Ridge, Buehrle bounced around with three separate teams over the next three years.

Despite being thoroughly average, Buehrle still finds himself among the top 20 all-time in a number of categories. Unfortunately for him, his highest ranking is in losses where he's tied with Mike Mussina for 7th all-time (139). On the wins side, his 127 don't get him to .500 but they do place him 16th with 127 wins, ahead of Roy Oswalt (121) and behind Felix Hernandez (130).

Buehrle also ranks 15th both in innings pitched with 2,262 1/3, sandwiched between C.C. Sabathia and Kevin Brown as well as career starts, 348, ahead of John Smoltz (340) and behind Jake Peavy (350). His 38 complete games also ranks 15th all-time.