#332 Buck Martinez

A KC original...career extended to 17 seasons exceeding his 1969 expansionist teammates of Lou Pinella and Tom Burgmeier by two years and all the rest by a wide margin ...incredible longevity given he only shared catching duties at best and was a less than stellar hitter with a .225 BA....a testimony to the value of the Catcher position...not an expansion pick however rather traded to Royals by Astros....was #2 backstop for KC as a 20 year old rookie....Had trouble getting back to big club for entire campaigns until 1974 (8 hits in 55 at bats 1970-71, bypassed altogether relegated to minors 1972)....Took his reserve value to Milwaukee for three years, then Toronto for another six....played the outfield one game, DH for two, and pitched once....All other work in the field was as backstop.