Former Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck finds soft landing spot in Cleveland

There was frustration at being stuck in triple-A all season and some disappointment when the Angels designated him for assignment Tuesday, but outfielder J.B. Shuck, traded to Cleveland for cash considerations on Friday, couldn’t have found a better landing place.

“This has been my dream as a kid, to be an Indian,” Shuck, an Ohio native and former Ohio State standout, said before Monday’s makeup game against the Angels in Progressive Field. “It’s been a great couple of days so far.”

Shuck, 27, had a superb rookie season for the Angels in 2013, batting .293 with a .366 on-base percentage, 128 hits, 60 runs and 39 runs batted in.

But with two left-handed-hitting outfielders—Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun—starting this season, the Angels opted to keep the right-handed-hitting Collin Cowgill as a reserve outfielder. Shuck spent most of the season at triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .320 with five homers and 57 RBIs in 102 games.

“It was a little tough, but I understood the circumstances,” Shuck said. “They needed right-handed bats, and I couldn’t learn to hit right-handed, so I just decided when I got sent down, I was going to do what I could to get a shot somewhere else. I tried not to sulk or to pout.”

With Mike Trout, Hamilton, Calhoun and Cowgill entrenched in the outfield in Anaheim, it was apparent Shuck would have little chance of making the team next season. So General Manager Jerry Dipoto cut Shuck loose with a month left in the season in hopes he would land a job elsewhere.

“We didn’t want to hold him hostage for another year,” Dipoto said. “What happened to him this year could very well happen next year. We gave him an opportunity to get out there a little earlier.”

Shuck appreciated the gesture.

“I was with [the Angels] for two years, and you want to be up in the big leagues and helping, but I didn’t want to be stuck in triple-A,” Shuck said. “I was fortunate to get an opportunity to come here, so it was a blessing.”