John Buck Toronto Blue Jays (11-5-2001)
What is your playing background?
I went to Taylorsville High School in Salt Lake City Utah. I was drafted out of high school in 1998 in the seventh round. I signed in June 1998 and went to the Gulf Coast League, and played for the Gulf Coast Astros. From there I went to the Auburn Doubleday’s in the New York Penn League. My First full season was last year at Battle Creek Michigan. This year I was in Lexington with the Lexington Legends.
What is your baseball philosophy?
Just play as hard as I can. If you give 110% in everything you do, you are only going to gain progress. That goes defensively, offensively, and in life. Just 110% and you will do all right.
What do you feel is your strengths?
My defense. I pride myself a lot on defense and being a catcher. I think that is the way you should be if you are going to be a catcher that is any good. So I pride myself on defense. The focus is on my defense and if I get a few hits, it is a bonus.
What are your weaknesses?
I’m not saying I don’t have in any weaknesses but I am working on the whole game. You can always work on the whole game. I don’t think of it in terms of strengths or weaknesses. The Astros didn’t send me down here to work on anything in particular. Basically just to “get older,” and gain some experience.
When hitting do you guess the next pitch or do you just react?
Every once in awhile I will sit counts if the situation is obvious that I will get a fastball or a breaking ball. Sometimes I will get caught guessing. For the most part I try to look fastball away. If it is off speed I will try to pull it, but mostly the fastball I’ll try to drive the other way.
When you were being scouted what did the pros look for? Did they tell you what made you stand out?
I think just being a catcher. They were looking for catchers. Not me in particular. I think they look at a catcher who receives the ball well, can throw the ball down to second and have some strength in his arm. I think that is what scouts pretty much look for in catchers.
Do they time you in throwing to second?
Yes they do. The major-league average from what they say is 2.0. That is a major-league, big league average. I am anywhere from 1.9 to 2.0, right around that area. It’s timed from the time it hits the catcher’s glove, to the time it hits the second baseman’s glove.
When you were recruited did they tell you anything about where you would play?
They pretty much said that being drafted out of high school I would be going to short season or rookie ball. Which is pretty normal, unless you are a first-round phenom. They usually send you to the short season. That is what they told me and I started in the Gulf Coast League.
Do you have any privacy as a player?
It is not too bad. It is not like you are a basketball or football player and you stand out like a sore thumb. If you look at a baseball player you are not abnormally large or what ever, unless you are A-Rod or Jeter where your face is easily recognizable. But an A ball player you are pretty much like a normal person unless the person is familiar with baseball, or the team in town. Then it is not a problem because they like you because they are baseball fans. Other than that it is not to bad.
Are you bothered by the attention?
No, it doesn’t bother me. Like I said it is not too bad. Even the big leaguers will tell you that they are not recognized a whole lot. They can walk around malls etc. and really not be recognized. Like I said, you are not like a basketball player that is 7 ft. tall or a football player that is 3 ft. wide. Baseball players blend in a little bit more. I don’t see it as a problem, and most pro players don’t either. Usually people know you are human, so they aren’t going to bug you that bad. It doesn’t get that out of control, that I have seen or been a part of.
Do you read the sports pages or the scouting reports on you?
No, not normally. Everyone reads Baseball America because we get that. If there is something in there maybe, only because I read all of the Astros sites. If there is something in there about me I’ll read it. When we are other towns I really don’t read the newspapers just because when I was younger the first couple of years they would say stuff. They may not have known what went on in the game, and you may not agree with it. So it is better to not even read it.
How about those sites that projects you as a starter some place?
I kind of blow those off because that is not the Astros. That is not the Astros posting on the site. That is kind of what other people think. I do not want to keep my hopes up or put any weight on that.
Do the Astros tell you what their projections for you are? In three years you will be in the major leagues?
Actually it is kind of hush hush. They really don’t tell you until spring training. Last few days are when you are certain. In spring training they put you on teams that you are going to play with, either AA or AAA. It doesn’t mean anything. Last two years I have been with the AA team only because there are catchers that are on the 40-man roster with the big-league team. When they come back down I get bumped down to Single A.
What is your typical day at spring training camp?
Get up around seven o’clock in the morning. Sometimes you have early work with Tony Pena. You do receiving drills before anyone gets there. Tony works us pretty good. Sometimes a lot of the catcher’s have to go in early. Then we stretch, we have an obstacle course for stretching and stuff, which includes the whole organization of the minor leagues. Then we do individual work. Catchers go with catchers, shortstops go with shortstops, etc. Then we go to hitting, and hit, do our infield, and then we play our games against the other organizations.
How about during the Fall League?
Sometimes pitchers have other work. Guys here know they are close to the big leagues. This is supposed to be the elites of the elites. They are still trying to work to get to the big leagues the same way that I am. Some of them volunteer and do extra early work, which might be the reason, they came here. I think that is why they do early work. We have been out there a couple times blocking balls.
Batting practice starts at 10:30, what time do you get to the park?
Usually for a 12:00 pm game, I get to the park about 9, 9:15, or 9:30. It gives myself time to wake up. I might do a little extra hitting and loosen up my body.
Do you practice on your days off?
Usually no. Playing a 140 game schedule I usually take my days off to relax, especially working behind the plate as a starter. There is a lot of wear and tear on your body.
Do you played every third day?
We used to but Gerald Laird has been hurt. Now I catch two and Garrett catches two. When Laird starts to come back, he will work into the rotation.
Have you ever injured?
Not anything significant that laid me up. Just normal, typical bumps and bruises.
Do you keep track of players above you and the organization?
Yes but I don’t watch their stats. Every once in a while I check because that is the way the game is. I don’t look at the kids below me, but I know they are looking at my stats seeing how many errors I had. The guys above are what you are working for. You are biting at their ankles, just like the kids below you are biting yours. I think if you are not, then you are not trying. You always have to be looking ahead. Sure I look at the guys in AA, AAA, and the big leagues. I’m watching them just like the guys below me are watching me.
How much film do you watch?
Most of the film I watch is just I hitting. Watching my swing. Other than that minor league A ball is not sophisticated enough like the big leagues, who watch how the opposing pitcher’s pitch. I just watch film of myself.
How much do they scout in Single A?
We don’t do much scouting. We don’t have the scouts like the big leagues do. When we play them the pitchers keep charts and we review them.
How important is weight lifting?
I lift every day. It’s a bigger faster stronger game now. Shortstops hit 20 home runs a year and stuff like that, so I think it is very important. If you want to make it in this game you got to lift weights.
How about organizationally?
Our organization just this past year, besides a trainer, they hired a weight lifting guy to be with each team. We have a trainer and a weight lifting guy for each team.
What are the hardest adjustments you made from high school to pro baseball?
I think catching. When I first got drafted the guys just through a lot harder. My first year was a big adjustment year. Being able to catch that 95, 98 mph fastball from kids was my biggest adjustment.
What about as far as hitting?
Fastball comes straight, but learning how to hit the off speed pitches was the biggest adjustment I had to make in pro ball. Here they can get it over for strikes, where in high school they just flip it up there just to be showing something else. You could just spit on it because you knew the fastball was coming. In pro ball they get off speed pitches, curveballs, changeups, sliders, over for strikes. You have to know how to hit that if you want to make it.
How about at the different levels?
In rookie ball it was actually harder to hit because you had guys throwing as hard as they could. Kids out of high school, and elsewhere came in and through as hard as they could. That is why they came over here. They were throwing 97 or 98 mph but they didn’t know where it was going. The first one may be behind your head and the second one may paint the outside corner. That is what made it hard in pro ball. As you move up pitchers start knowing where they are going to throw it.
Why do you think guys with talent coming in didn’t make it and guys with lesser talent went a lot farther?
There are other things you never know. Maybe there is something off the field that may be affecting the guy. He is a normal human being just like anyone else. He has problems off the field. Maybe it is that or maybe it is a guy who couldn’t make adjustments. He may have all the talent in the world but he just can’t adjust and be consistent. The guy that has a little bit less talent is able to adjust and do what it takes to make the adjustments and get better.
What about the competition for your roster spot when you are trying to take someone else’s?
That is just part of baseball. You are all ways trying to get to the big leagues. That is every ones ultimate goal. Everyone is biting and scratching to get to the top. That is why they say it is easy to get to the big leagues, but it is harder to stay. That is what they say.
You have four Single A teams, with two rookie ball teams and two high A teams. Is it harder to make it to AA than AAA or the Majors?
They say that that is the biggest jump from Single A to AA. They pretty much, from my perspective as a player, try to weed out who they think are going to be big league players and guys who don’t have a legitimate chance to play in the big leagues. I think they try to weed them out before they make that jump to AA. That is just my player guess of what they tried to do.
Did they ever tell you anything before sending you to the Arizona Fall League? Only six players from each organization are sent here. They must think that you have a shot at the big leagues?
Yes, that is what I got from this league. You look at all lot of these guys in this locker room and they have been to the big leagues at one time. You look at other teams they all have the first round picks and the top prospects. I think it is a league to be honored that I was picked to be here. On the other hand it makes me think that I have to work that much harder because they are thinking of me that way. I am playing with guys that are that good so I don’t want to look out of place.
What would you tell young players looking to come into pro baseball?
I would tell them if they want to why not. Don’t ever let anyone tell you, you can’t. I have seen players in my high school that had enough talent to play pro ball but they didn’t have enough drive or didn’t care enough. If you have a dream and you want it bad enough go get it. Anything in the world you want badly enough you can get it. It just takes work and effort to make your goal.
What about the fans that want autographs?
It doesn’t bother me. I always know that when I was little you hear stories about guys “big-leaguing” kids by not signing their autograph. I always said I wouldn’t do that. I’m sure a lot of guys in here probably say that too. I don’t mind it that bad. The only time it bothers you is right before a game. You are told not to sign autographs during the game. It doesn’t bug you, but it frustrates you because a kid will ask you for an autograph and the parent will be mad at you because you won’t sign it, because it is in the middle of the game. You want to sign it but you can’t. I think there is actually a fine if you sign an autograph while the umpires is on the field. Parents only see you saying no I can’t. They think you are just trying to big-league the kid. On the other hand during the game it is our job, we should be focused there. That is real frustrating when the parents kind of get upset with you, but we can’t. That is the only bad thing I see that bothers me.
What about the old guys that want autographs?
It doesn’t bother me because they are baseball fans too. If we didn’t have fans that were your age wanting autographs, we wouldn’t be getting paid as much as we are. If we don’t sign autographs and make them enjoy the game, we would not have a job. Your not going to want to see us play if guys are big leaguing you. That is the way I look at it.
How about the ones that are yelling at you?
Like I said it is part of the game too. That is part of being a big leaguer. You get paid that much, fans will yell at you. Although I don’t think they should yell personal things. That is uncalled for. Very rarely do you see it, and I think that very rarely happens. It does happen every once in a while with people drinking. When it does happen you usually see a big leaguer turn around and snapback. But I don’t think it happens that often. It hasn’t happened in A ball and we play in a stadium that has a lot of fans. Surprisingly they haven’t been personal. They can’t cut on me all day long but don’t cross the line. That is just part of baseball. They probably want you to win more than you want to win. They are just fans getting into the game. Everybody is a critic. If you ask players they say that they don’t even hear them. You are thinking about game situations or if we did screw up or thinking about so much other stuff that we usually don’t hear them.
How about the umpires? How do you handle the ball and strike calls?
Actually that is a big part about being a catcher. You have to get the feel for the umpire. Whether he is the type of guy that will talk to you or is he the type that what ever he thinks goes. You have to know the type of umpire and get a feel for the umpire. As far as offensively if I am hitting, because of my position, I usually cannot question a pitch. That comes with the territory of being a catcher. You know that you’re most important behind the plate. Down here (Fall League) these are the top umpires who also want to get better. I found a lot of them here, in A, and AA trying to get to the big leagues just like us. So they are trying to get better too. If you talk to a lot of players they will tell you that they are friends with some umpires. Like I said they are human beings trying to make it just like we are. They are not out to try to screw you or anything; they are out there trying to get better. A lot of them maybe two innings later, ask about a pitch I thought they had missed. They ask if I had it on the corner. Again they are trying to get better like we are.
Have you ever been kicked out of a game?
No, not in pro ball but in high school yes. I was just smart with an umpire. Normal baseball arguing stuff.
Do you think that umpires carry over their feelings about a previous argument etc.?
I found they don’t because I am usually back there talking to them and I can usually solve it before. I have seen umpires where if you are bad to them they will get you back. Being umpires they have to prove that they are in control of the game. Sometimes if you are bad enough, and they are in control of the game, why not? It is in their hands and not yours if you think about it. So as a player you just have to be careful about what you say and know that is part of baseball.
How about the brush back, knock down, and retaliation?
I don’t know. If it has to be done I will call it, but most of the time it does not have to done. There are a lot of people that I think get anxious to do it. It takes a severe thing for me to want to do it. If someone does it to me it usually doesn’t bother me, because I take it as, I get on base. I am getting hit with balls behind the plate all day. What’s getting hit with another ball in the chest or arm. It doesn’t bother me I get to get on base.
What would you tell someone in high school about pro baseball?
I enjoy pro baseball very much. Depending on the type of personality it was the best way to go for me. I think I was ready to make that step to pro ball. As far as school wise, say if I didn’t make it, they made an offer to pay for my school for a four-year scholarship. It would actually work out better school wise if I go to school later. If I could just do school and not play, I could just do the college thing. For me it was better. For some other kid it may be better to go to college and get experience and school at the same time. I think you have to be honest to yourself. Do I have a legitimate chance to play, or am I wasting my time? You’ll know when the time comes if college is best for you. It will be blatantly clear to you if you are confident enough.