Player Profile

John Buck

by Marc Normandin

Despite another poor start in Kansas City—Joe Posnanski has already written his annual end of the season column for the Royals—there are a few bright spots on the team. Gil Meche has managed to pitch much more effectively than many analysts thought he would—more on that in a future profile—and John Buck has seemingly secured the catcher's job, despite the offseason acquisition of Jason LaRue. Buck has hit .299/.398/.588 to open the season, and although he has slowed down a bit in May after a torrid April, he finally looks like the hitter the Royals expected back in 2004 when they traded for him.

John Buck was drafted in 1998 by the Houston Astros in the seventh round of the amateur entry draft, and signed very soon afterward. His professional career started for the Gulf Coast League Astros, and he would find himself playing for Low-A Auburn the next season:


Year Team         AB   AVG/ OBP/ SLG  XBH%   ISO  2B+3B   BB%   K%
1998 GCL(Rk)     126  .286/.362/.429   33%  .143    9    9.2%  15.5%
1999 Auburn(A-)  233  .245/.328/.356   35%  .111   17    9.4%  18.0%

The first season was a nifty debut for an 18-year-old; he showed a little power for a catcher, displayed plate patience, and had a BABIP of .327, which is lower than you would expect given the level. At Auburn, the power dipped a little, but the patience remained. His BABIP dropped to .297, a good 25 points lower than the New York-Penn League average. Despite the poor production at the plate at Auburn, the Astros sent Buck to Michigan in the Midwest League; he would play A-ball for the next two seasons:


Year Team          AB    AVG/ OBP/ SLG  XBH%   ISO  2B+3B   BB%    K%
2000 Michigan(A)   390  .282/.374/.444   39%  .162    33   12.1%  17.8%
2001 Lexington(A)  443  .275/.345/.483   39%  .208    25    7.4%  18.9%

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