Ben Burlingame

Benjamin A. Burlington

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 210 lb.

• School University of Maine
• High School Newton South High School

• Born January 31, 1970

BR Minors page

Ben Burlingame pitched in the minors as high as AAA then starred in the independent leagues and Taiwan.

Burlingame was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 45th round of the 1988 amateur draft but opted for college. The Chicago Cubs chose him in the 14th round of the 1991 amateur draft. With the Geneva Cubs, he went 5-2 with a save and a 2.84 ERA that summer. The big right-hander had a 8-12, 3.64 record for the 1992 Winston-Salem Spirits. He tied three other hurlers for the Carolina League lead in losses. In '93, Ben was with the Peoria Chiefs (9-7, 3.56) and Daytona Cubs (0-1, 7.79).

Burlingame was with the AA Orlando Cubs for all of 1994 and 1995. He was 4-11 with a 3.88 ERA the first year, 9-2 with a 3.53 the next. He ended his time in the Cubs system in 1996, going 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA for Orlando and 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA for the Iowa Cubs. In 1997, he went 6-10 with a 3.20 ERA for the Bend Bandits. He walked 27 and fanned 127 in 132 innings, leading the Western Baseball League in strikeouts and placing 4th in ERA.

That kind of work earned him a ticket overseas. He went 16-8 with a 1.99 ERA or the 1998 Chianan Luka, leading the Taiwan Major League in ERA. He was three wins behind Don August, the leader. The next year, he moved to Taiwan's other loop, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, but was 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA for the Chinatrust Whales and was released.

In 2000, Burlingame went 2-4 with a 4.33 ERA for the Tri-City Posse. He got one look from the First Financial Holdings Agan in 2003, going 2-3 with a 6.18 ERA to end his career.

Sources

• Chinese Wiki Baseball
• 1991-1999 Baseball Almanacs