1977 Profile: Bucky Dent

"An outstanding young shortstop, high on the shopping list of many major league clubs, Bucky missed only three games last season, only five the year before. Durable and skillful, he's been involved in 309 double plays in three years.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, his real name is Russell Earl Dent. An All-City, All-County, All-State and MVP tailback in football, Bucky chose baseball instead and is rapidly becoming a Windy City favorite in the mold of Luke Appling, Chico Carrasquel and Luis Aparicio."

-Phil Pepe, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1977 Edition

"A hearty New York welcome to the newest of the Yankees, Bucky Dent. The object of a spring-long search by the club, Bucky became a Yankee just prior to the team's return trip north.
An outstanding young shortstop, Dent was high on the shopping list of many major league clubs, and the Yanks feel fortunate to have him in Pinstripes. Only 25, he was runner-up American League Rookie of the Year in 1974 and joins 23-year-old Willie Randolph to form one of the top young keystone combinations in baseball.
Bucky has outstanding range and those just aren't words of praise. He has been among the league leaders in total chances in each of his three full seasons and led the shortstops in that category in 1975. In addition, he has twice tied for the league lead in double plays by a shortstop.
A durable performer, Dent has missed only 13 games in the last three seasons. He is also the epitome of the true team player, leading the league in sacrifice hits in his first big league season. A hearty welcome, indeed, for this talented young man."

-The New York Yankees Official 1977 Yearbook

"Bucky Dent is one of the top defensive shortstops in the game. Only 25 years old, Dent joins 23-year-old Willie Randolph to give the Yanks one of the top young double-play combinations in baseball.
Since joining the White Sox in 1973, Bucky has proved to be a model of consistency. He has played in 154, 157 and 158 games the last three seasons, missing only 13 games in that span.
In his rookie year in 1974, he was the American League's Rookie of the Year runner-up to Texas' Mike Hargrove. He was named shortstop on the Major League All-Rookie team that year and led the league with 23 sacrifice hits.
Defensively, Bucky has been among the league leaders each year in total chances accepted. He tied for the league lead in double plays by a shortstop in 1974 with 108 and he led the league in 1975 with 105 twin killings.
1975 has proved to Bucky's best year thus far. In addition to the double plays, he was first in fielding (.981), putouts (279), assists (543) and total chances (838). He committed only 16 errors and was named to the American League All-Star team.
Bucky hit .351 in 77 at-bats for Sarasota his first year in organized ball in 1970. He won the Hustle Award at Knoxville in 1972, where he hit .296 and made the Southern League All-Star team.
Dent had hitting streaks of 11 and 12 games last year.
An all-around athlete, Bucky played Little League and Pony League baseball and was an All-State halfback at Hialeah (Florida) High School. He attended Miami Dade North Junior College, where he was an All-American infielder.
His hobby is shark fishing.
The first time Bucky ever saw a major league game, he played in it."

-1977 New York Yankees Press/TV/Radio Guide