Kevin Minnick

@cp_varsity

Ryan Buchter was a 33rd round draft pick in 2005

The Highland graduate has played for five organizations

He most recently pitched for the Cubs and Dodgers organizations last season

Ryan Buchter has seen a lot of cheap hotel rooms and taken more bus rides than he’d care to remember during his baseball career.

He’s been to Burlington, Vermont and Hagerstown, Maryland; checked out the sights in Lynchburg, North Carolina and Jackson, Mississippi.

The Highland High School graduate has played in the Florida Gulf Coast League, New York-Penn League, South Atlantic, Midwest, Southern and a handful of others. He’s been in both leagues – International and Pacific Coast – at the Triple-A level.

All in pursuit of his ultimate dream.

But over the past decade, Buchter never experienced what it was like to step on the hill Opening Day in a major league uniform - until now.

Originally a 33rd round pick by the Washington Nationals in the 2005 draft, the left-handed reliever made his first Opening Day appearance as a member of the San Diego Padres.

Against the Dodgers on Monday, Buchter pitched two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one and gave up one hit.

He was also on the Braves’ Opening Day roster in 2014 but didn’t play before being sent down to Triple-A following the series against Milwaukee.

“Honestly, I feel like I belong here,” Buchter said Saturday morning from his hotel room in Denver, where the Padres are taking on the Rockies this weekend. “After getting a taste in 2014, I felt last year was a waste being in the minor leagues with what I was doing on the field. The Padres noticed and pursued me aggressively this offseason.

“(First-year manager) Andy Green is a special person. After a couple phone conversations with him while I was in Mexico, I knew this is where I wanted to be. I'm actually happy I got to be a part of his first big-league win.”

San Diego lost its first three games against the Dodgers to open the season, but defeated Colorado 13-6 on Friday. Buchter pitched the ninth inning.

Until this season, Buchter had played in just one major league game – June 20, 2014. Pitching for Atlanta, he struck out one and walked one in just one inning of work. He also earned the victory over Washington.

“I think someone like me, given my history, can never really feel settled,” he said. “It feels great to be here and know that I can play a big role in this bullpen, but for me I do not want to feel settled. I'm always going to keep fighting and keep working. The goal now is to stay and that’s what I have to fight for.”

Since making his professional debut in 2006, Buchter has played for five organizations – Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Dodgers and Padres. He spent last season in Triple-A between the Cubs and Dodgers, just two of 11 minor-league stops in his career.

He’s also pitched in the Arizona Fall League and most recently the Mexican Pacific Winter League. He signed a minor-league deal with San Diego two weeks after Thanksgiving.

A month later, Buchter had an offer to play in Japan. But the Padres put his mind at ease, placing him on the team’s 40-man roster.

“When I talked to him in the offseason, you could hear the confidence in his voice and his desire for a role on a major league club,” Green told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “He was not scared of it at all. He wanted it and knows he’s made for it.”

“We valued him that highly (to put Buchter on the 40-man roster). He had a sub-two ERA in the (Pacific Coast League). You've got a high-riding fastball that gets by guys, you've got a tight, biting slider. ... He's good against lefties. He's good against certain righties, too. He didn't sneak up on us. He was always in the conversation."

Heading into Saturday night’s game, Buchter had pitched in three of San Diego’s first four games. In 2 2/3 innings, he recorded four strikeouts and two walks. When the series ends Sunday, he’ll get on a plane for his first trip home as a major leaguer.

Buchter will likely have his own cheering section when the Padres begin a four-game series Monday against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It will be their only visit to Philadelphia this season.

“This (Philadelphia) trip has eluded me so far,” he said. “The last two times I was up, this trip was looming in the next week and both times I got sent down. I don’t think it has hit me yet. I guess you can use the term ‘dream come true’ but honestly every day up here is.

“When you’re a kid, you say you’re going to play baseball when you get older. I was just a kid from Blackwood that wanted to have fun and play with his friends. There was no travel ball, where parents are spending thousands of dollars to showcase you like a shiny trophy. It was me and a core group of friends that played Little League starting at 10 and finished at Highland. That’s what was important to me.”

Kevin Minnick; (856) 486-2424; kminnick@gannettnj.com