Travis Buck
Encyclopedia
Travis George Buck is an American
professional baseball
outfielder
for the Houston Astros
of Major League Baseball
.
. He played college baseball
for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team from -. He is eighth in the ASU all-time hits
category with 272, and his 110 hits in 2005 are the ninth-most in Sun Devils history. In and 2005, he was selected as a Pac-10 Conference
All-Star outfielder, and in 2004 he helped lead Team USA
to a gold medal in the World University Baseball Championship
, finishing second on Team USA hitting .412 (28-for-68) with two doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI. He won the Pac-10 Player-of-the-week award in consecutive weeks in 2004, a feat that was not repeated by a Sun Devil until Ike Davis
in 2007.
in the 23rd round (700th overall) in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
, but opted not to sign with the Mariners so that he could attend Arizona State University
. He was later drafted by the Athletics as the 36th overall selection of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft
.
In , Buck split time between High A (the Stockton Ports
) and Double-A (the Midland RockHounds
). He finished the year hitting
.302 for Midland with four home run
s in 212 at-bats. He was selected as an outfielder for the United States in the All-Star Futures Game
at PNC Park
in Pittsburgh.
Prior to , Buck was rated as the top prospect in the Oakland organization and the #50 prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America
. He was in the Opening Day
lineup for Oakland due to an injury to first baseman
Dan Johnson, which prompted manager Bob Geren
to shift Nick Swisher
to first base and tab Buck as the starting right fielder
. Buck went 1-3 in the game, with his first major league hit being a double
off Mariners starting pitcher
Félix Hernández
.
Buck was the opening day right fielder for the Athletics in , but spent much of the season at Triple-A Sacramento
, before being recalled in September.
On December 2, 2010, Buck was non-tendered by the Athletics making him a free agent.
On December 20, 2010 Travis Buck signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians
. He made their 2011 opening day roster, but was soon sent down to the AAA Columbus Clippers
when Grady Sizemore
was activated from the disabled list. However, when Sizemore returned to the disabled list in mid-May, Buck was recalled.
Buck was designated for assignment on July 28. After the 2011 season, he elected for free agency.
The Houston Astros
signed Buck to a minor league contract on November 9, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
for the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
College career
Buck attended Richland High School before enrolling at Arizona State UniversityArizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. He played college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team from -. He is eighth in the ASU all-time hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
category with 272, and his 110 hits in 2005 are the ninth-most in Sun Devils history. In and 2005, he was selected as a Pac-10 Conference
Pacific Ten Conference
The Pacific-12 Conference is a college athletic conference that operates in the Western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
All-Star outfielder, and in 2004 he helped lead Team USA
United States national baseball team
The United States National Baseball team represents the United States in international baseball competition. The United States has won the previous two Baseball World Cups, having lost this title to the Netherlands in 2011, and is currently second in the IBAF World Rankings, behind Cuba.The team...
to a gold medal in the World University Baseball Championship
World University Baseball Championship
The World University Baseball Championship is an under-23 international college baseball competition sponsored by the International University Sports Federation and sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation , which was first held in 2002 in Italy...
, finishing second on Team USA hitting .412 (28-for-68) with two doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI. He won the Pac-10 Player-of-the-week award in consecutive weeks in 2004, a feat that was not repeated by a Sun Devil until Ike Davis
Ike Davis
Isaac Benjamin "Ike" Davis is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the New York Mets. He and his father Ron Davis, who pitched in the majors for 11 years, are the 197th father-son combination to have both played in the major leagues.He led his high school team to three straight Arizona state...
in 2007.
Professional career
He was selected by the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
in the 23rd round (700th overall) in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft
2002 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 4 and 5.This year's draft is featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book Moneyball.-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Compensation Selections:...
, but opted not to sign with the Mariners so that he could attend Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. He was later drafted by the Athletics as the 36th overall selection of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft
2005 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams...
.
In , Buck split time between High A (the Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
) and Double-A (the Midland RockHounds
Midland RockHounds
The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas, USA. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Citibank Ballpark, located in Midland. Opened in 2002, the stadium seats...
). He finished the year hitting
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.302 for Midland with four home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in 212 at-bats. He was selected as an outfielder for the United States in the All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
at PNC Park
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
in Pittsburgh.
Prior to , Buck was rated as the top prospect in the Oakland organization and the #50 prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
. He was in the Opening Day
Opening Day
Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball and most of the minor leagues, this day falls during the first week of April. For baseball fans, Opening Day serves as a symbol of rebirth; writer Thomas Boswell once penned a book...
lineup for Oakland due to an injury to first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
Dan Johnson, which prompted manager Bob Geren
Bob Geren
Robert Peter Geren is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager. During a 5-year playing career, he played for the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres . He managed the Oakland Athletics from 2007 through 2011...
to shift Nick Swisher
Nick Swisher
Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed....
to first base and tab Buck as the starting right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. Buck went 1-3 in the game, with his first major league hit being a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
off Mariners starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Félix Hernández
Félix Hernández
Félix Abraham Hernández , nicknamed "King Félix", is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners....
.
Buck was the opening day right fielder for the Athletics in , but spent much of the season at Triple-A Sacramento
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....
, before being recalled in September.
On December 2, 2010, Buck was non-tendered by the Athletics making him a free agent.
On December 20, 2010 Travis Buck signed a minor league deal with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. He made their 2011 opening day roster, but was soon sent down to the AAA Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
when Grady Sizemore
Grady Sizemore
Gradius "Grady" Sizemore III is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
was activated from the disabled list. However, when Sizemore returned to the disabled list in mid-May, Buck was recalled.
Buck was designated for assignment on July 28. After the 2011 season, he elected for free agency.
The Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
signed Buck to a minor league contract on November 9, 2011.