John Buck, Retired


Date of Birth: 7/7/1980
Birthplace: Kemmerer, Wyoming

John Buck was first drafted in 1998 by the Houston Astros. He played in the Astros' minor league system from 1998 through June, 2004, when they traded him to the Kansas City Royals.

Buck joined the Royals for 71 games in 2004. The next season, he played in 118 games and he batted .242 with 97 hits, 21 doubles, and 47 RBIs.

Buck signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in December, 2009. He had his best season in 2010 with career highs in hits (115), doubles (25), home runs (20), RBIs (66), and batting average (.281) in 118 games.

In November, 2010, Buck signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Miami Marlins. He played in a career high 140 games in 2011, finishing with a .227 batting average.

The Marlins traded Buck to the Blue Jays in November, 2012. A month later, he was again traded, this time to the New York Mets. After 101 games with the Mets in 2013, he was traded to his fifth team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in only 9 games with the Pirates.

In January, 2014, Buck signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. After 27 games, he was designated for assignment on July 7, 2014. He then signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Angels on July 21, 2014. He finished the 2014 season with just 20 hits in 27 games with the Mariners and 5 games with the Angels.

Buck was designated for assignment on October 7, 2014 but he declined the assignment and became a free agent. He signed a minor league contract with the Braves on January 26, 2015. He announced his retirement as a major league player on March 26, 2015.

Career batting statistics for Buck through 2014 include:

  • 1,090 games played
  • 844 hits
  • 172 doubles
  • 134 home runs
  • 491 RBIs
  • 959 strikeouts to 307 walks
  • .234 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Buck as a catcher through 2014 include:

  • 1.042 games played
  • 363 assists
  • 6,733 putouts
  • 58 errors
  • .251 caught stealing percentage
  • .992 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - John Buck
ESPN - John Buck