OF/LHP J.B. Shuck (Official Thread)

[brodybuck21]

J.B. Shuck

• Birth Date - June 18, 1987
• Birth Place - Westerville, OH
• College - Ohio State
• Position - Center Field

Shuck called up to Astros

HOUSTON, TX ? The Houston Astros announced today that the club has purchased the contract of outfielder J.B. Shuck from Triple A Oklahoma City and have designated outfielder Luis Durango for assignment. Durango was optioned to Triple A following Wednesday?s game. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Ed Wade.

Shuck, 24, is making his debut on a Major League roster after hitting .302 (100x331) with 27 RBI, 19 steals and a .401 on-base percentage at Triple A in 2011. Oklahoma City?s only All-Star in the Pacific Coast League this season, Shuck has hit .437 (31x71) with a .512 on-base percentage in 19 games since the All-Star break. The left-handed hitting Shuck was a sixth-round selection by Houston in the June 2008 Draft and was one of the final cuts by the Astros this Spring Training (.256, 11x43, 28g). He becomes the third player selected by Houston in 2008 to make the Major League roster, also catcher Jason Castro (first round) and right-handed pitcher Jordan Lyles (supplemental first round).

http://www.foxsportshouston.com/08/...stros/landing.html?blockID=544423&feedID=3714

 

[brodybuck21]

Congrats on another Buckeye making the Big Leagues! Can we get J.B.'s thread a Buckeye Leaf to celebrate this!!

 

[BB73]

Congrats on another Buckeye making the Big Leagues! Can we get J.B.'s thread a Buckeye Leaf to celebrate this!!

 

[TexasBuck]

Nice. Congrats to J.B. This un-watchable team just became watchable for me.

 

[Mr_Burns]

Got a hit in his first career at bat last night (went 1-2), and made a nice running catch in foul territory.

Welcome to the show, J.B.! Doing your Warhawks (and Buckeye) family proud!

 

[Buckskin86]

Shuck Again a Major Leaguer; J.B. Central to Return
by GalionLive
March 31, 2013

In the end, according to Manager Mike Scioscia, it was J.B. Shuck?s tenacity and performance which made the difference.

According to MLB.com, Scioscia shared, ?His spring was off the charts. I mean, he flat-out made our team.? And with that selection, Galion?s J.B. Shuck joined the official 40 man roster of the Los Angeles Angels.

With a batting average routinely above .350, and an ability to drive pitchers crazy by walking more often than striking, this is Shuck?s first-time on the Opening Day roster for a Major League team. And, fitting enough, that Opening Day is not in California.

It?s in Ohio.

The Angels face off against the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow (Monday) starting at 4:10 EDT at the Great American Ball Park on the Ohio River.

And with J.B.?s return to the Major League, GalionLive is celebrating by bringing back our ?J.B. Central? web page. Now, you can read the latest about J.B. and the Angels ? including blog posts, tweets, and much more. It will feature regularly updating material, so it will change throughout the day.

The site will be live by the time of the opening pitch, and we will share information about how to access J.B. Central on both GalionLive and Facebook.

J.B. is a former Galion High School and Ohio State University baseball standout. His Galion family members ? of which there are many ? have every reason to be proud of this young man, as does his home community.

http://galionlive.com/2013/03/31/shuck-again-a-major-leaguer-j-b-central-to-return/

 

[Buckskin86]

Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck, center, is getting more playing time since Peter Bourjos went down with an injury.
MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ, AP

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shuck-506829-focus-field.html

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-NExnXhuds"]KC@LAA: Shuck lays out for diving catch in the fourth - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Angels Afterthoughts: Ode to J.B. Shuck
May 26th, 2013

J.B. Shuck has been quietly producing all sorts of little things in the month that he?s been filling for Peter Bourjos, but in Sunday?s game he played as big a part as anyone in the victory.

Shuck, who is now hitting .315, had three hits, including a game-tying single off a lefty in the seventh inning. He also drove in an insurance run in the eighth.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shuck-510149-afterthoughts-angels.html

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Han_bIzKw8g"]SEA@LAA: Shuck slides for a nice grab in left - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

J.B. Shuck is Making the Most of His Opportunity
May 28th, 2013
by Michael Hllywa

When Peter Bourjos went down with a strained hamstring on April 30th, he was sporting a nifty .313/.370/.458 slash line. Even as one of Gorgeous Bourjos? staunchest supporters, I was incredibly surprised by his production to start the season. Even I don?t think he?s a .300 hitter. But, hey, who?s complaining, right? Even better still, was his slash line when leading off a game. The decision by Mike Scioscia to move Mike Trout out of the leadoff spot and place Bourjos there was viewed as a panic move in an attempt to jump start a struggling offense. How has Peter fared when stepping up to the plate as the first Angels hitter of a game? by hitting .385/.467/.615, that?s how. He?s exceeded everyone?s expectations this season, even my own. So when he went down with his hamstring injury, my first reaction was: (HEUNE*(F&#H#F(#H(F*H OMG WTF!!!!!!!!!! My second reaction was: ?Great, now we get to see J.B. Shuck be a starter for an extended period of time. YAY!?

For those who don?t know, Shuck wasn?t able to lock down a starting job with the Houston Astros. Yeah, those Astros. So, obviously, expectations were ankle high. Bourjos was going to be filled-in for by a fringy, fifth-outfielder-at-best, zero power J.B. Shuck. This could only end terribly. Except, it hasn?t. And J.B. Shuck now has a contingent of Angels fans saying: ?Who the Shuck is this guy?? Right? No? I?ll see myself out.

So far, Shuck?s 0.2 WAR is roughly 0.2 higher then I had hoped it would be. And his slash line of .315/.361/.393 is about *Holds hand above head* that much higher than I what I expected it to be. So, what gives, right? He?s a lefty so, he has to be torching right-handed pitching. That?s the only obvious explanation, right? Nope. He?s actually hitting a very pedestrian .270/.313/.351 against righties. But that would mean that he is hitting lefties well, and that would be absurd, because, well, he?s a lefty. Lefties don?t hit lefties well, that?s the natural order of life, it fits right in line with paying taxes and dying. Well, how about you see for yourself?

cont...

http://halohangout.com/2013/05/28/j-b-shuck-is-making-the-most-of-his-opportunity/

 

[Buckskin86]

An outfielder who was let go by the Houston Astros has batted solidly and played regularly for the Angels since Peter Bourjos' injury.
May 30, 2013|Bill Dwyre

J.B. Shuck has become the Angels' starting left fielder since Peter Bourjos suffered an injury, and one of their best hitters, averaging .304 at the plate with 10 runs batted in this season after being cut by the Houston Astros in November.

J.B. Shuck has become the Angels' starting left fielder since Peter? (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles?)

At 7:10 p.m. Wednesday at Angel Stadium, they announced the Angels' starting outfield: They called out two of the biggest names in baseball and J.B. Shuck.

Shuck was starting his 24th of the last 28 games in left field, most often in the company of Mike Trout in center and Josh Hamilton in right. Shuck is like the guy who snuck backstage at the opera to get autographs and they let him sing. He is a household name only in his own household and in those households inhabited by rabid Angels fans.

"He has been a pleasant surprise," said Manager Mike Scioscia, which is like calling Dennis Rodman a little eccentric.

When they posted the starting lineups, only two Angels were batting above .300 ? Howie Kendrick at .305 and Shuck at .304. The eight other guys in the lineup other than Shuck had a total salary similar to the gross national product of Sicily. Comparatively, Shuck makes pocket change. But ask who is the happiest camper in Angels camp right now, and it is probably Shuck.

An interview with Shuck revolved around two basic questions, the first a compound one: Who are you, where did you come from and why are you still here?

Shuck laughed.

The summarized answer is that he is 25, bats and throws left-handed and is a former star player at Ohio State who was drafted 182nd by the Houston Astros after his junior year. At Ohio State, he was both an outfielder and pitcher.

"We'd play four times a week," he said. "I'd be in the outfield Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and pitch on Sunday."

He hit .301 in five seasons in the minors, being used strictly as an outfielder.

"I didn't care which way I went," he said. "I just wanted to play."

He hit .271 in 37 games with the mother ship Astros in 2011, before being exiled to triple-A Oklahoma City for all of last season, where he hit .298, with 94 hits and 33 runs batted in.

cont...

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/30/sports/la-sp-0530-dwyre-angels-dodgers-20130530

 

[Buckskin86]

Aw, Shuck: Replay overturns Angels homer
Halos outfielder loses first career blast on second look by umpires
By William Boor / MLB.com | 6/6/2013

Shuck's home run overturned
6/4/13: J.B. Shuck hits a fly ball down the right-field line that is originally ruled a home run, but is ruled a foul ball after review

ANAHEIM -- With an 0-1 count in the bottom of the second in Wednesday's 8-6, 10-inning loss to the Cubs, Angels left fielder J.B. Shuck thought he hit his first Major League home run.

Shuck hit a ball down the right-field line, and although it was initially ruled a home run, it was later ruled a foul ball by replay.

Shuck's foul ball was the second time an Angels player has had a home run overturned at Angel Stadium. Peter Bourjos had a home run overturned on Sept. 28, 2010, in a game against Oakland.

Shuck eventually grounded out to shortstop to end the at-bat and finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130605&content_id=49734472&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[Buckskin86]

Angels' J.B. Shuck loses sight of what's in front of him on bases
Shuck's baserunning error against the Red Sox in the eighth inning kills a rally as Josh Hamilton is coming up. However, his work in place of Peter Bourjos has been solid.

Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck kneels on the infield after being tagged out when he was caught in a rundown between second and third during the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox. (Mary Schwalm / Associated Press / June 9, 2013)
By Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times
June 10, 2013

BOSTON?

? Left fielder J.B. Shuck had a nice six-week run as a fill-in for injured starter Peter Bourjos, hitting .259 with 10 runs and 11 runs batted in and playing solid defense in 34 games, but it ended on a sour note Sunday.

The Angels scored twice in the eighth inning against Boston on Shuck's two-out, bases-loaded single to cut the lead to 10-5, and they had runners on first and second when Mike Trout flared a single to right.

It appeared Chris Iannetta would score from second, but the slow-running catcher was held by third base coach Dino Ebel. Shuck, who was on first, thought Iannetta would score, so he rounded second aggressively and headed to third.

Shuck eventually saw the stop sign and scurried back to second, but not before Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew cut off right fielder Daniel Nava's throw, chased Shuck down and applied the tag to end an inning that could have continued with the bases loaded and Josh Hamilton up.

"You always have to be mindful of what's going on in front of you, especially when you're a faster runner," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "J.B. knew he could make third and had his head down. You have to be prepared for a late hold."

Shuck, who will move to the bench when Bourjos, who completed his minor league rehabilitation assignment Sunday, is activated for Monday night's game in Baltimore, took full blame for the mistake.

"I got caught in between, and they happened to throw to second and got me," Shuck said. "I have to be anticipating that, knowing who's in front of me."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/la-sp-0610-angels-notes-20130610,0,4357415.story

 

[Buckskin86]

Baseball: Former Buckeye looks for spot in Angels outfield

JAE C. HONG | ASSOCIATED PRESS
Outfielder J.B. Shuck is batting .277 in a part-time role with the Los Angeles Angels.
By Joey Kaufman
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH THURSDAY JUNE 13, 2013

J.B. Shuck never waited long for a phone call.
Less than 24 hours after being cut by the Houston Astros in November, the former Ohio State outfielder and pitcher fielded a call from his agent.
He heard good news: He wouldn?t be out of work for long; the Los Angeles Angels were interested in him.

?They really needed a lefty off the bench, and that?s why I came in to compete,? said Shuck, who signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the club. ?It was a good situation from the first time they called.?
The next part of Shuck?s road back to the majors, though, wasn?t expected to be as quick. He joined a crowded outfield that included Peter Bourjos, Josh Hamilton, Mark Trumbo, Mike Trout, and Vernon Wells.
Playing time, naturally, would be scarce.

But the Angels traded Wells in March, and during spring training, Shuck settled in nicely, hitting .358 with seven runs scored and 10 RBI. He was ?off the charts,? Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters.

?I just wanted to go out and prove I could play,? Shuck said. ?Being in a new organization, you want to go out and show everything you can bring to the table.?

cont..

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/shuck-making-strong-case.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Shuck proving to be hit at top of Angels' lineup
By Chris Abshire / MLB.com | 6/29/2013

HOUSTON -- Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck is settling in at the leadoff spot, and it's just in time to face his former team.

Shuck was in the leadoff spot for the fourth straight game in Friday's opener vs. the Astros, as Peter Bourjos continued to nurse a thumb injury.

Shuck has been nothing short of stellar at the top of the lineup, proving a key cog during Los Angeles' three-game sweep of Detroit.

In that series, Shuck went 6-for-14, scoring at least one run in all three games and driving in four runs during the Angels' 14-8 slugfest victory on Tuesday.

"I feel good, since I just tell myself it's the same kind of situation whether it's leadoff or nine-hole," he said. "I try not to think about it, really."

Shuck might not be thinking about it, but manager Mike Scioscia is eyeing his approach intently. He hasn't found anything to dislike so far.

"J.B.'s playing terrific baseball for us," Scioscia said. "Even when he's not getting on, he's seeing a lot of pitches. He's setting the table for the top of our order, and he's been a real spark plug for us. Hopefully, he'll keep taking advantage of this situation."

The new role isn't out of line with Shuck's season as a whole. He entered Friday hitting .327 in June while starting 14 games, scoring 12 runs and driving in nine. In 30 at-bats in the leadoff spot, he was hitting a cool .333 with seven RBIs.

Shuck, who played in 37 games with Houston in 2011 during his Major League debut, has been the Angels' chameleon this season. He's started one game at designated hitter, pinch-ran twice, played 48 games at two different outfield spots and pinch-hit seven times. He's had at least one at-bat in every spot in the order except for the three-hole.

"I didn't really expect to have this kind of impact so quick," he said. "I knew my role was as the guy coming in off the bench. In the same sense, you have to be ready to step in when injuries do happen. I'm just holding down the fort right now."

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/ne...tebook_id=52072708&vkey=notebook_ana&c_id=ana