J.B. Shuck

Jack Burdett Shuck III

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 11", Weight 195 lb.
• School Ohio State University
• High School Galion High School
• Debut August 5, 2011
• Final Game May 3, 2019
• Born June 18, 1987 in Westerville, OH USA

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Biographical Information

Outfielder J.B. Shuck was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 6th round of the 2008 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Nick Venuto and made his pro debut that summer.

Shuck made his major league debut with the Astros on August 5, 2011. He went 1 for 2 with a stolen base against the Milwaukee Brewers. He hit .272 with 3 RBIs in 37 games that year. He then spent the 2012 season in the minor leagues with the Oklahoma City RedHawks, hitting .298/.374/.352 in 115 games with no homers and 33 RBIs. He then became a free agent after the season and signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He made the team out of spring training in 2013 and while he was expected to be used mainly as a back-up, he ended up getting a lot of playing time in left field because of injuries. On August 2nd, he made a highlight reel catch, depriving Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays of a certain home run by leaping over the left field fence at Anaheim Stadium, catching the ball and hanging on as he ended up sitting in the front row of the stands. He ended up hitting .293 in 128 games, with 128 hits, although only 25 went for extra bases. He scored 60 runs and played great defense, ending up fifth in the voting for the 2013 American League Rookie of the Year Award.

Given his very solid rookie season, and the departure of OF Chris Bourjos via trade during the off-season, it was a big surprise that he failed to make the cut for the Angels' opening day roster in 2014. He was sent down on the last day of camp after batting .281 with 5 triples, with Collin Cowgill beating him out for the team's fourth outfielder slot. His minor league stay did not last long, however, since he was recalled to Los Angeles on April 9th after Josh Hamilton went on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his thumb. But he never managed to get untracked that season as he only hit .167 in 22 games for the Angels, spending most of the year in AAA with the Salt Lake Bees. There he hit .320/.382/.446 in 102 games, scoring 64 runs and driving in 57 In September, his contract was sold to the Cleveland Indians, but he went only 2 for 26 for them and was placed on waivers when the year ended.

He is the brother-in-law of Mark Melancon.

Related Sites

• J.B. Shuck on mlb.com
• OSU bio