Buck Martinez

Born: 11/7/1948 in Redding, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1969-06-18 | Final Game: 1986-10-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: John Albert Martinez

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Biography

Buck Martinez, born in 1948, was a professional baseball player who had a notable career spanning from 1969 to 1986. Primarily a catcher and outfielder, he played in a total of 1,049 games and recorded 618 hits, including 58 home runs and 321 RBIs. Martinez's career batting average stood at .225, and he added 5 stolen bases to his overall performance. His tenure in Major League Baseball coincided with a transformative period in the sport, marked by the advent of player free agency and the increasing commercialization of the game. Martinez's playing style was characterized by his defensive skills behind the plate and his ability to handle pitching staffs, which made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for, including the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays. While he may not have been an offensive powerhouse, his contributions as a reliable catcher and his leadership on the field left a lasting impact. After retiring as a player, Buck Martinez transitioned into broadcasting, where he continued to influence the game and share his insights with fans, further solidifying his legacy in baseball history.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
1049	2743	245	618	128	10	58	321	5	230	419	0.225	0.284	0.343	0.627	-5845.6

Career AVG .225 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Career OBP .284 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 12.5% below league average.

Career SLG .343 vs. league average .382 across their career seasons — 10.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.627 vs. league average 0.706 across their career seasons — 11.3% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1969	KCR	AL	72	205	14	47	6	1	4	23	0	8	25	0.229	.248 (-8%)	.320 (-19%)	.369 (-11%)	.689 (-15%)	-587.7
1970	KCR	AL	6	9	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	0.111	—	—	—	—	0.0
1971	KCR	AL	22	46	3	7	2	0	0	1	0	5	9	0.152	—	—	—	—	-277.5
1973	KCR	AL	14	32	2	8	1	0	1	6	0	4	5	0.250	—	—	—	—	0.0
1974	KCR	AL	43	107	10	23	3	1	1	8	0	14	19	0.215	.256 (-16%)	.324 (-2%)	.369 (-22%)	.693 (-12%)	-180.7
1975	KCR	AL	80	226	15	51	9	2	3	23	1	21	28	0.226	.257 (-12%)	.327 (-10%)	.374 (-14%)	.701 (-12%)	-502.2
1976	KCR	AL	95	267	24	61	13	3	5	34	0	16	45	0.228	.255 (-11%)	.320 (-16%)	.360 (-1%)	.681 (-8%)	-502.9
1977	KCR	AL	29	80	3	18	4	0	1	9	0	3	12	0.225	.264 (-15%)	.329 (-23%)	.401 (-22%)	.730 (-23%)	-313.9
1978	ATL	AL	89	256	26	56	10	1	1	20	1	14	42	0.219	.257 (-15%)	.323 (-21%)	.378 (-27%)	.702 (-24%)	-1173.3
1979	ATL	AL	69	196	17	53	8	0	4	26	0	8	25	0.270	.265 (+2%)	.329 (-10%)	.397 (-6%)	.727 (-8%)	-323.5
1980	ATL	AL	76	219	16	49	9	0	3	17	1	12	33	0.224	.264 (-15%)	.326 (-18%)	.387 (-21%)	.714 (-20%)	-796.7
1981	TOR	AL	45	128	13	29	8	1	4	21	1	11	16	0.227	.255 (-11%)	.320 (-10%)	.368 (+8%)	.688 (-1%)	-64.2
1982	TOR	AL	96	260	26	63	17	0	10	37	1	24	34	0.242	.261 (-7%)	.324 (-7%)	.388 (+9%)	.712 (+2%)	-9.9
1983	TOR	AL	88	221	27	56	14	0	10	33	0	29	39	0.253	.260 (-3%)	.324 (+4%)	.389 (+16%)	.714 (+11%)	432.7
1984	TOR	AL	102	232	24	51	13	1	5	37	0	29	49	0.220	.259 (-15%)	.322 (-7%)	.384 (-9%)	.707 (-8%)	-400.3
1985	TOR	AL	42	99	11	16	3	0	4	14	0	10	12	0.162	.257 (-37%)	.323 (-26%)	.390 (-20%)	.714 (-23%)	-420.4
1986	TOR	AL	81	160	13	29	8	0	2	12	0	20	25	0.181	.257 (-30%)	.325 (-17%)	.395 (-32%)	.720 (-25%)	-725.0

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	1	1	0	1	0	9.00	0

Career ERA 9.00 vs. league average 4.00 across their career seasons — 124.8% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1979	ATL	AL	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.0	1	1	1	0	9.00	—	-

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
5	15	0	5	0	0	0	4	1	3	0.333

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
1976	ALCS	KCA	5	15	0	5	0	0	0	4	1	3	0.333

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
C	1008	845	4038	396	70	59
OF	1	1	2	1	0	1
P	1	0	0	0	0	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1969	KCA	C	55	46	290	25	9	7
1969	KCA	OF	1	1	2	1	0	1
1970	KCA	C	5	3	20	3	1	0
1971	KCA	C	21	14	84	6	3	0
1973	KCA	C	14	10	52	4	2	1
1974	KCA	C	38	31	151	16	4	1
1975	KCA	C	79	70	361	39	8	4
1976	KCA	C	94	86	420	40	4	4
1977	KCA	C	28	22	133	8	1	0
1978	ML4	C	89	85	327	32	8	7
1979	ML4	C	68	67	198	39	8	2
1979	ML4	P	1	0	0	0	0	0
1980	ML4	C	76	75	293	33	5	3
1981	TOR	C	45	43	192	22	2	3
1982	TOR	C	93	79	382	35	5	8
1983	TOR	C	85	69	331	25	4	3
1984	TOR	C	98	66	360	34	2	5
1985	TOR	C	42	32	155	16	2	5
1986	TOR	C	78	47	289	19	2	6