Johnathan Richard Buck
| John Buck | |||
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Buck with the New York Mets in 2013
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| Catcher | |||
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Born: July 7, 1980 Kemmerer, Wyoming |
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| MLB debut | |||
| June 25, 2004, for the Kansas City Royals | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 28, 2014, for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .234 | ||
| Home runs | 134 | ||
| Runs batted in | 491 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
Johnathan Richard Buck (born July 7, 1980) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida/Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He went to high school in Taylorsville, Utah.
Buck was initially drafted by the Houston Astros in the 7th round of the 1998 Amateur Draft. He was signed to a minor league contract on June 11, 1998.
By 2002, Buck was highly regarded for his defensive ability, becoming one of the game's top minor league catchers and 68th top prospect in all of baseball. In 2003, Buck moved farther up prospect lists. He was listed as the 21st-best prospect in baseball by John Sickels.
On June 24, 2004, the Astros traded him to the Kansas City Royals as part of a three-way deal to acquire Carlos Beltrán, sending Buck and cash to Kansas City and Octavio Dotel to the Oakland Athletics. Mark Teahen and Mike Wood went from the Athletics to the Royals as well. The Royals immediately put Buck in their starting lineup, replacing injured veteran Benito Santiago. Buck made his major league debut on June 25. Although he initially appeared overmatched by major-league pitching—his batting average reached a low of .138 on July 7—he impressed the team with his defensive ability and his handling of pitchers. His hitting improved with time, and by September 25 he had raised his average to .243 with 12 home runs, and 30 RBIs.
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