Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame elects Brandon Phillips, Mike Buczkowski as Hall's Class of 2024
The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce that former Bisons infielder and 2004 Governors’ Cup Champion BRANDON PHILLIPS and President of Rich Baseball Operations, who was also the longest-tenured general manager in franchise history, MIKE BUCZKOWSKI, have been elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee is proud to announce that former Bisons infielder and 2004 Governors’ Cup Champion BRANDON PHILLIPS and President of Rich Baseball Operations, who was also the longest-tenured general manager in franchise history, MIKE BUCZKOWSKI, have been elected to the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.
With the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024, the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame will now have 109 members.
Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame – Brandon Phillips
Elected in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, Phillips played 345 games over parts of four seasons with the Bisons (2002-2005) and ranks in the top five in the team’s modern era in hits (367 -5th), at-bats (1,363 -2nd), runs scored (206 -3rd) and doubles (79 -3rd). One of the most exciting players in the modern era both in the batter’s box and in the field, Phillips’ break-out campaign came in 2004 when he hit .303 with 34 doubles, eight home runs, 50 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 83 runs scored in 135 games. His 158 hits that season were 4th-most in the International League and at the time were the 2nd most in a single season in the modern era. He also reached base safely in a team-record 51 straight games.
Phillips went on to lead the Bisons in hits in the 2004 International League playoffs and made the acrobatic defensive play in Game 3 of the IL Semi-Finals against Durham that changed the entire course of the postseason. The Herd went from down 2-0 in a best of five series to capturing their sixth Governors’ Cup Championship due in large part to Phillips’ efforts.
Phillips success in Buffalo continued in 2005 when he was an IL All-Star for the Bisons, hitting .256 with 15 home runs, 40 extra-base hits and 46 RBI in 112 games. He then went on to have a very successful 17-year Major League career that included three All-Star appearances, four NL Gold Gloves and the 2011 Silver Slugger award as the best hitting second baseman in the National League. In 1,902 career big league games, Phillips hit .275 with 358 doubles, 35 triples, 211 home runs, 951 RBI and 209 stolen bases.
Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame – Mike Buczkowski
Also elected in his first year on the ballot, Buczkowski has been a member of the Buffalo Bisons organization for 38 years. He first joined the Bisons in 1987 and served as the club’s general manager from 1994-2019, the longest tenure of any GM in the 139-year history of the organization. Since 2020, he has served as the President or Rich Baseball Operations, overseeing not only the Bisons but also the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals) and the West Virginia Black Bears of the Major League Baseball Draft League.
During Buczkowski’s time as general manager, the Bisons led their league in attendance seven times, including the International League’s all-time attendance record set in 1998. In December 2001, Buczkowski accepted the prestigious Bob Freitas Award from Baseball America for overall operational excellence as the Bisons became the first Triple-A team to win the award twice (also in 1991). In 2019, he was named the International League Executive of the Year.
With Buczkowski’s unwavering passion and dedicated leadership, the Bisons organization has proudly served as stewards of the game of baseball in Buffalo by not only providing a family-friendly, fun, actioned-packed and value-driven ballpark experience during Bisons game at Sahlen Field, but also by promoting the growth of the game at all levels within the Western New York community. Buczkowski is a board member for Western New York United Against Drug & Alcohol Abuse Foundation, Buffalo Police Foundation, Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation and is a member of the Board of Trustees at Villa Maria College. He also serves on the advisory board of the Buffalo/ Niagara Sports Commission and the advisory council of Project Play WNY.
A native Buffalonian, Mike graduated in 1982 from Bishop Timon High School where he played three years of varsity baseball and hockey, earning All-Catholic honors as a hockey player. He graduated from Canisius College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1986 where he was also the captain of the hockey team. His ties to the organization run deep as Buczkowski’s grandfather, Huck Geary, played shortstop at Offermann Stadium for the Bisons from 1935-37, and was a member of the 1936 Governors’ Cup championship team.
Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame Committee
The Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame committee is charged with the task of screening all candidates eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame and to select for induction such persons who have made a significant contribution to Buffalo professional baseball, or such Western New Yorkers who have made a meaningful contribution to professional baseball generally.
The committee is comprised of Mike Buczkowski, Tom Burns, Bob DiCesare, Brian Frank, Mike Harrington, Kevin Lester, Duke McGuire, Bob Miske and Pete Weber.