Dallas Buck (born November 11, 1984, in

Newberg, Oregon Newberg is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to George Fox University. As of 2023 the city population was 26,095 making it the second most populous ...

) is a former

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

player and former

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who played for the

Oregon State Beavers The Oregon State Beavers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Oregon State University, located in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I (NCAA Division I ...

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

in college. He threw a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, and his strike-out pitch, the slider.

College career

Buck pitched four years for

Newberg High School Newberg High School (NHS) is the only public high school in Newberg, Oregon, United States. It is a part of Newberg-Dundee Public Schools. History The current campus is Newberg High School's third location. The first campus (1911-36) The origin ...

, which won the Oregon state championship his senior year. At Oregon State University, the , 210 pound, athlete majored in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

. He played football in the Fall as a defensive-back and pitched for the baseball team in the Spring. After two years playing both sports, he decided to specialize in baseball. Buck pitched for the Beavers from 2004 to 2006, including pitching games in the

2006 College World Series The 2006 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from June 2 through June 26, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in ...

. In 2005, Dallas Buck and Oregon State teammate, outfielder

Jacoby Ellsbury Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...

, were

candidates. In 2004 and 2005, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie All ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

, and won West Division MVP at the league's 2004 all-star game. He had a key part in the 2006 championship series between Oregon State and the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

. Buck won game three of the series after pitching just two days before in game one, sealing Oregon State's first baseball national championship. He finished his career at Oregon State as the school's leader in hit batters.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks Minor League

Buck was a third round pick for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft. In June 2007, he had

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

on his elbow.

Cincinnati Reds Minor League

On August 11, 2008, Buck was traded from Arizona's minor league Single-A

Visalia Oaks Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

(along with

Micah Owings Micah Burton Owings (born September 28, 1982) is an Americans, American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres between 2007 and 2012. Durin ...

and Wilkin Castillo) to the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

for

Adam Dunn Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979), nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. A two-time Major L ...

and cash. In 2009 Buck battled arm injuries while holding a 2–3 record with a 4.91 ERA in ten starts. He ended the 2009 season playing for the Double-A

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

. Buck played on the Mudcats through 2011

Release

After posting a 1–5 record in eight starts for the Mudcats in 2011, he was released. Buck has not played in the minor leagues since 2011. During his five seasons in the minor leagues, Buck finished with a 16–22 record in 61 starts and a 4.48

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. Buck also held a .244

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 41 at bats, despite not having any

plate appearance In baseball, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner. This ha ...

s at Oregon State.

College Honors

*2005 American Baseball Coaches Association All-American (first team) *2005 Baseball America All-American (first team) *2005 Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball All-American (first team) *2005 USA Today/Sports Weekly All-American (first team) *2005 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American (second team) *2005 ABCA All-West Region first team *2005 All-Pacific-10 first team

References

External links

Oregon State Beavers Dallas Buck Biography

Dallas Buck Video at Youtube.com

Minor-League Player Page

Baseball Reference Player Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Dallas 1984 births Living people Oregon State Beavers baseball players Falmouth Commodores players People from Newberg, Oregon Baseball players from Oregon Visalia Oaks players South Bend Silver Hawks players Sarasota Reds players Carolina Mudcats players Gulf Coast Reds players Edmonton Capitals players All-American college baseball players