CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #385
Fubon Guardians News: David Buchanan
On 30 April, broadcaster Wang Yi-Hsuan reported on social media that 35-year-old American right-hander David Buchanan has left the Texas Rangers organisation and is set to return to Asia to join the Fubon Guardians, who are in urgent need of a foreign starting pitcher. Wang contacted the Guardians, but the team declined to confirm the signing rumour.
Fun fact: If David Buchanan joins the CPBL, he will become the 28th member of the exclusive “Pro Ball Grand Slam Club“, a group of players who have appeared in MLB, NPB, KBO and CPBL.
After a few days on May 3, the Fubon Guardians finally confirmed the signing. As per the Guardians’ general manager, David Buchanan is set to arrive in Taiwan around mid-May and hinted that Buchanan might replace Rio Gomez, who is currently sidelined with an elbow injury.
David Buchanan began his professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies organisation in 2010. He quickly made his MLB debut in 2014 and soon earned a spot in the Phillies’ starting rotation. Between 2014 and 2015, he started 35 games and posted a 5.01 ERA over 192.1 innings.
NPB and KBO Years (2017-2023)
In 2017, David Buchanan signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s NPB. From 2017 to 2019, he recorded a 4.07 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP across 433.2 innings.
After his time in NPB, David Buchanan moved to Korea’s KBO, joining the Samsung Lions. From 2020 to 2023, he delivered a strong performance, compiling a 3.02 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP over 699.2 innings. During his four seasons in the KBO, he was one of the league’s top pitchers in terms of innings pitched and was widely regarded as the ace of the Samsung Lions.
According to various Korean media, the Samsung Lions hoped to re-sign David Buchanan after the 2023 season, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.
Return to MLB System
After leaving the KBO, David Buchanan returned to the MLB system by signing a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies at the beginning of 2024. He was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds organisation, where he made a brief MLB appearance, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing one run before being designated for assignment the following day.
In 2025, David Buchanan signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers but spent most of the season in Triple-A. Over 29 innings, he logged a 5.28 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP.
With the signing of David Buchanan, the Fubon Guardians now have Roenis Elías, Shawn Morimando, Enderson Franco, Rio Gomez (elbow injury), Negishi Ryo (development contract) and Ninomiya Isaki (development contract) as their foreign players.
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a foreign player tracker, and I’ll be updating that list regularly to keep pace with the ever-changing roster shuffle throughout the 2025 CPBL season.
David Buchanan becomes the most recent pitcher to complete the MLB, NPB, KBO and CPBL superfecta. How about an updated list of all the players who have now accomplished it?
It’s updated already, the list is growing!