Houston Astros 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.
Kansas City Royals 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. Buck 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. In 2006, Buck fought with teammate
Runelvys Hernández in the Royals dugout during a game against the
Cleveland Indians.
Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 On December 16, 2009, Buck signed a one-year contract with the
Toronto Blue Jays worth $2 million. On April 29, 2010. Buck hit 3 home runs in a single game against the
Oakland Athletics. Buck was elected to the
2010 American League All-Star team on July 4, along with fellow Blue Jays
Vernon Wells and
José Bautista. In his first All-Star Game, he went 1–2 with a
double. Buck finished his only season in Toronto with career-highs in batting average (.281), hits (115), home runs (20), RBI (66), doubles (25),
slugging percentage (.489), and on-base plus slugging (.802).
Florida/Miami Marlins Buck agreed to a three-year contract with the
Florida Marlins worth $18 million on November 15, 2010. The deal was confirmed on November 17. In his first game with the Marlins, he hit a grand slam off
New York Mets pitcher
Mike Pelfrey. In 2011, he had the lowest percentage of runners caught stealing of all major league catchers, at 17%. In 2012, Buck hit .192/.297/.347 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 106 games while throwing out 27% of runners.
New York Mets On November 19, 2012, Buck was traded to the
Toronto Blue Jays along with
Josh Johnson,
José Reyes,
Mark Buehrle, and
Emilio Bonifácio in exchange for
Jeff Mathis,
Adeiny Hechavarria,
Henderson Álvarez,
Yunel Escobar,
Jake Marisnick,
Anthony DeSclafani, and
Justin Nicolino. On December 17, the Blue Jays traded him,
Noah Syndergaard,
Travis d'Arnaud, and Wuilmer Becerra to the
New York Mets for
R. A. Dickey,
Josh Thole, and
Mike Nickeas. Buck began 2013 as the starting catcher, with
Anthony Recker as his backup. After a great April in which he hit .241/.269/.575 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI, Buck cooled down some. On August 17, Buck was placed on paternity leave, and he was replaced on the roster by the catcher he was traded with,
Travis d'Arnaud. d'Arnaud took the starting role when Buck returned, and Buck would soon be traded.
Pittsburgh Pirates On August 27, 2013, Buck and
Marlon Byrd were traded to the
Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for infield prospect
Dilson Herrera and a
player to be named later, identified on August 29 as
Vic Black. He finished the season as the backup to
Russell Martin. In 110 games total (9 with Pittsburgh), he hit .219/.285/.362 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI.
Seattle Mariners On January 14, 2014, Buck agreed to a 1-year, $1 million deal with the
Seattle Mariners. He was projected to split time at catcher with
Humberto Quintero and
Mike Zunino. On July 7, Buck's 34th birthday, the Mariners
designated him for assignment. After clearing waivers unclaimed, Buck became a free agent.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Buck signed a minor league contract with the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on July 21, 2014. He was assigned to the Triple-A
Salt Lake Bees. The Angels designated Buck for assignment on October 7, after claiming
Alfredo Marte and
Roger Kieschnick on waivers. He rejected an assignment to Triple-A, becoming a free agent.
Retirement In January 2015, Buck agreed to a minor league contract with the
Atlanta Braves. The contract included an invitation to major-league
spring training. Buck was expected to start the 2015 season at Triple-A. However, on March 26, he announced that he was retiring from professional baseball. ==Personal life==