Major-league vet Buck aims to help Tri-City youth baseball players

Travis Buck was one of the top baseball players in the Northwest when he graduated from Richland High School in 2002.

Now, Buck wants to help area youth baseball players bring their game to a higher level.

The former Arizona State University outfielder and major-league veteran will hold tryouts from 5-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Columbia Basin College for a 14U developmental team.

“I want to change the culture of Tri-City baseball and bring it back to where it used to be,” Buck said of implementing his TBuck Training program. “I want to get these kids into programs and to be seen by the right people. I don’t know everything, but I know a lot.”

Wednesday’s tryouts are free. Players are asked to bring their own equipment, including batting helmets and catcher’s gear, and arrive 30 minutes early to fill out paperwork.

Buck was working with a Baseball Northwest 16U team at a tournament last week in Atlanta, and said he is excited to get his program up and running.

“I am excited to come back and get involved in youth baseball,” Buck said. “I want to give kids and parents options. My main objective is to help the kids.”

Buck is working on putting together a coaching staff that will have no ties to the kids outside the program.

“We are here to develop these kids,” he said. “We will play in the best tournaments. If you want to win a trophy every week, this program is not for you. We want to develop great kids on and off the field, and get these kids exposure. Nowadays, when they talk of baseball, rarely do they talk about the Tri-Cities or the east side of the state. They are starting to get overlooked, and that is because of lack of exposure.”

Former Richland coach Ben Jacobs, who retired in 2012 after 24 years on the bench and four state titles, applauds Buck’s goals.

“There is such a need for what Travis is trying to do,” Jacobs said. “The talent is still in the Tri-Cities. It just needs to be refined mentally and physically. He has the right idea. There is too much influence by parents these days. Someone needs to be honest with the kids and let them know where they stand, what kind of talent they have. Hopefully he can get it done without too much interference.”

Homecoming

Buck, 32, has been back in the Mid-Columbia for about a year after injuries (torn hamstring, left ankle reconstruction) derailed the last two years of his career. He has been working with a group of about 60 baseball and softball players who come from as far away as Portland, Spokane and Pendleton.

“I was very fortunate to grow up in Richland,” Buck said. “I played at ASU and got drafted in the first round (by Oakland in 2005). I played six years in the big leagues. Every day I wake up and I’m fortunate to live out my dream. I came back thinking I would do lessons. When I grew up, Tri-Cities was a hotbed of baseball, but now, a lot of kids aren’t going to college. There are guys who don’t know how to play the game. College is ‘win now.’ They don’t have a year to teach you the fundamentals.

“I want to jump in the youth baseball scene and bring back the old-school mentality. I want to give the kids the tools to fulfill their dreams like I did. It’s unfortunate that nowadays a lot of it has to do with entitlement. They are afraid to fail. I had high expectations, but I also know the best players fail seven out of 10 times. That is the game of baseball.”

Buck also is in the process of having a 3,200-square-foot indoor facility built off Columbia Park Trail in Richland, where he can work with players year-round.

“We were fortunate to find a place that was right in the middle and right off the freeway,” Buck said. “I wanted it to be centrally located. We should have that up and running by the end of August.”

Star turn

Buck’s steady play at shortstop and hot bat helped Richland take third place in the Class 4A state baseball tournament his senior season. The 6-foot-3 Buck hit .475 with 32 RBIs, 12 doubles, three triples and three home runs, and he tied the school record with 25 stolen bases. He was first-team all-Big Nine and first-team all-state.

He went on to star at Arizona State, where he ranks eighth in career hits with 272. He twice was named a Pac-10 Conference first-team outfielder (2004-05).

He made his major-league debut April 2, 2007, with the Athletics. During his career, he also played with the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros. He has a .243 career batting average, 197 hits, 20 home runs and 95 RBIs, but his last major-league appearance was in 2012.

His last professional action came with the El Paso Chihuahuas, the San Diego Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, in 2014.

“I haven’t officially retired yet,” Buck said. “But if no one wants me, I’m not going to beg for a job.”

Buck has had the support of his wife of nearly six years, Summar. Her dad, Greg Myers, was a big-league catcher and designated hitter who played for seven teams over an 18-year career.

“She knows the game, and that makes it easier on me,” Buck said. “She knows the environment and lets me do my thing. She knows how challenging it is to be in professional baseball.”

This story was originally published August 1, 2016 at 6:08 PM with the headline "Major-league vet Buck aims to help Tri-City youth baseball players."