Buck Britton
| Buck Britton | |
|---|---|
| Baltimore Orioles – No. 36 | |
| Major League Coach | |
| Born: May 16, 1986 Panorama City, California, U.S. | |
| Teams | |
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Buchanan Clyde Britton (born May 16, 1986) is an American professional baseball coach with the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is the older brother of Zack Britton.[1]
Early years
[edit]Britton attended Canyon High School before transferring to Weatherford High School where he graduated in 2004.[2][3] He matriculated at Lon Morris College and Stephen F. Austin State University for a year each before graduating from Lubbock Christian University in 2008. He was a second baseman and leadoff hitter who started in all 111 games in his two seasons with the Chaparrals. He had a combined .383 batting average with 164 hits, 18 home runs, 7 triples and 99 runs batted in (RBI). He was a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American in his junior year.[2]
Professional playing career
[edit]Britton was the 1,046th overall selection in the 35th round by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
He had five hits in 11 at bats in three games with the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2009.[4]
His best season was in 2014 when he slashed .289/.345/.453 with 15 home runs and 67 RBI.[4]
His last year as an active player was in 2016 when he appeared in 73 games with the then-Minnesota Twins affiliate Rochester Red Wings. He ended a professional playing career spent entirely in the minor leagues with a .270 batting average, 59 home runs, 407 RBI and a .721 on-base plus slugging (OPS).[4]
Managerial/coaching career
[edit]Britton returned to the Orioles organization to succeed Kyle Moore as hitting coach with the Delmarva Shorebirds in 2017.[4] He replaced Ryan Minor as Shorebirds manager one year later on January 25, 2018.[5] The Shorebirds finished with a 68–66 record in his only season as its skipper.[6]
Britton was promoted to succeed Gary Kendall in a similar capacity with the Bowie Baysox in early-February 2019.[6] The ballclub went 149–111 in the two seasons he managed the team, both of which ended with appearances in the Eastern League Championship Series.[7] The Baysox lost to the Trenton Thunder 3–1 in 2019 and the Akron RubberDucks 3–0 in 2021.[8][9] He coached at the Orioles Alternate Training Site at Prince George's Stadium in the intermediate year when the 2020 Minor League Baseball campaign was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
Britton was elevated to manage the Norfolk Tides on January 26, 2022.[7] His record in three years with the ballclub was 233–216. Despite sub-.500 campaigns at 74–76 and 69–81 in 2022 and 2024 respectively, the Tides captured both the International League and Triple-A National Championships in 2023.[11] He received that season's International League Manager of the Year Award on October 4, 2023.[12]
Britton was promoted to the Orioles as its major league coach on November 25, 2024.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Rill, Jake. "Britton brothers join forces as coaches at Orioles camp," MLB.com, Thursday, February 20, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c Buck Britton (2017), Hall of Honor – Lubbock Christian University Athletics. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ "WISD Becoming 'Field of Dreams,'" Weatherford (TX) Independent School District, Wednesday, July 1, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Northam, Mitchell. "Buck Britton is Shorebirds' new hitting coach," The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD), Thursday, February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Pollitt, Richard. "'A pretty special feeling': Shorebirds promote Buck Britton to manager," The Daily Times (Salisbury, MD), Thursday, January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Buck Britton Returns to Bowie as Manager," MiLB.com, Friday, February 8, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "Orioles announce player development and scouting staffs for 2022 season," MLB.com press release, Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ "9/13 – Trenton Wins Eastern League, 5–2," MiLB.com, Saturday, September 14, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Sheehan, Stephanie. "Naylor's walk-off secures Finals sweep for Akron," MiLB.com, Friday, September 24, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Stanley, John. "Tides Coaching Staff Announced for 2022 Season," MiLB.com, Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Stanley, John. "Britton Added to Orioles 2025 Coaching Staff," MiLB.com, Monday, November 25, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Stanley, John. "Britton, Cowser Win International League Awards," MiLB.com, Wednesday, October 4, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ "Orioles Announce 2025 Major League Coaching Staff," Baltimore Orioles press release, Monday, November 25, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Baltimore Orioles coaches
- Aberdeen IronBirds players
- Bluefield Orioles players
- Bowie Baysox players
- Delmarva Shorebirds players
- Frederick Keys players
- Lon Morris College alumni
- Lubbock Christian University alumni
- Lubbock Christian Chaparrals baseball players
- Minor league baseball coaches
- Minor league baseball managers
- Norfolk Tides players
- Norfolk Tides managers
- Oklahoma City Dodgers players
- People from Panorama City, Los Angeles
- Rochester Red Wings players
- Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball players
- American sportsmen
- 21st-century American sportsmen