Brian Lesher
| Brian Lesher | |
|---|---|
| Outfielder | |
| Born: March 5, 1971 Wilrijk, Belgium | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 25, 1996, for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 28, 2002, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .224 |
| Home runs | 9 |
| Runs batted in | 38 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
Brian Herbert Lesher (born March 5, 1971) is a Belgian former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Lesher was born in Belgium where his father, John, a former West Virginia Mountaineers basketball player, was playing professional basketball.[1] Lesher played college baseball for the University of Delaware and was selected by Oakland in the 25th round of the 1992 MLB draft.[2]
Lesher entered the majors in 1996 with the Athletics, playing for three consecutive years before joining the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. His most productive season came in 1997 with Oakland, when he posted career-highs in games (46), home runs (4), runs batted in (17), runs scored (17), and stolen bases (4). Lesher is the only person born in Belgium to play in MLB.[3]
In a five-season career, Lesher was a .224 hitter with nine home runs and 38 RBI in 108 games.
Following his playing career, Lesher became the head coach at Newark Charter School and coached his two sons.[4][5] Lesher was inducted to the Delaware Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023.[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ Morris, Les (May 19, 2001). "Lesher hitting ball like his richer buddy". The Daily Reporter. p. 11. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
- 1 2 "Three Former Baseball Athletes to be Inducted Into Delaware Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame". University of Delaware Athletics. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Players by birthplace: Belgium Baseball Stats and Info". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ Buzby, Jon (July 14, 2011). "Former big-leaguer coaching local All-Stars". Newark Post. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
- ↑ Buzby, Jon (April 18, 2014). "Former big-leaguer coaching Newark Charter baseball team". Newark Post. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Edmonton Trappers players
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Major League Baseball players from Belgium
- Oakland Athletics players
- People from Wilrijk
- Seattle Mariners players
- Tacoma Rainiers players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- Huntsville Stars players
- Indianapolis Indians players
- Madison Muskies players
- Memphis Redbirds players
- Modesto A's players
- Southern Oregon A's players
- Syracuse SkyChiefs players
- Vancouver Canadians players
- American expatriate baseball players in Canada
- Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens baseball players
- Baseball players from Delaware