Kansas City Royals: Top Ten Catchers In Team History

Former Kansas City Royals catcher John Buck (4) – Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

John Buck – the best player the Kansas City Royals received in exchange for Carlos Beltran. Oh my!

The biggest issue with John Buck is that the Royals relied on him too much as a power source. He had power, hence his 70 home runs as a Royal, but he hit more than 12 only once for Kansas City.

His high batting average for the Royals was only .247, in 2009, when he had his fewest at bats for the team. He was a swing and miss kind of guy, as indicated by the 20.5 Strikeout Rate in 2006, which was his best rate with not only for the Royals, but as a major leaguer. That means he struck out more than once every five at bats.

Still, Buck was a Royal long enough to get 2,116 plate appearances. He ranks as the sixth best catcher in team history.

• Second in Home Runs –  70
• Fifth in Runs Scored – 218
• Fifth in Runs Batted In – 259
• Eighth (t) in Stolen Bases – 4
• Ninth in Batting Average – .235
• Eighth in On Base Percentage – .298
• Fourth in Slugging Percentage – .407
• Seventh in Wins Above Replacement – 3.8

Buck is the first catcher on this list that was mostly a starter. His production numbers reflect that. His paltry Batting Average, On Base Percentage, and WAR really prevented him for realistically being any higher on this list though.

With 70 dingers, Buck does have the second most of any Royals catcher. He also played on some of the worst teams in Royals history, but he was not fair compensation for Carlos Beltran, though.

Buck has played on seven teams in the five years since leaving Kansas City, even earning an All-Star birth for Toronto in 2010.

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