KANSAS CITY -- There will be no passing the Buck in 2005. Not in the view of Royals general manager Allard Baird. Nope, the Buck stops here.

"Right now, obviously, John Buck is our starting catcher going into Spring Training and -- we anticipate -- coming out of Spring Training," Baird said.

Buck began last season with the Astros' Triple-A club at New Orleans but, after a June series at Philadelphia, the Royals found themselves in a real bind. Within three days, catcher Benito Santiago suffered a broken hand and backup Kelly Stinnett was headed for elbow surgery.

• Catchers: Buck takes reins • Corner infielders: Heavy at first • Middle infielders: Depth up the middle • Outfielders: Platooning a possibility • Starting rotation: Holes in the rotation • Bullpen: Fierce Spring battle expected • DH and Bench: Infield backup shortage

The catching staff was wiped out.

So when Baird pulled the trigger on the Carlos Beltran trade June 24, he insisted on getting Buck, 24, from the Astros.

"Batting-wise, he probably wasn't ready but we felt confident in the aptitude and the work ethic and by the end of August and September, he was right on that track," Baird said.

"Defensively, we weren't worried about him a bit and he really received extremely well from Day 1 here."

After hitting just .149 in his first 27 games, Buck escalated to .277 in his last 47 games. Along the way, he slugged 12 home runs, the most ever by a Royals rookie catcher.

He exhibited good game-calling and leadership skills and an above-average arm, although he needs to quicken his release on throws. And he was good at blocking balls in the dirt.

"The one thing that stands out -- and you don't see it anymore. Anybody that blocks balls with nobody on base either likes to show off his skills or just likes blocking balls and he does that very well," Baird said.

"You just don't see that nowadays."

Alberto Castillo, called up from Triple-A Omaha just two days before Buck was acquired, was the backup and figures to fill that role again this year.

Castillo, 34, was known as a fine defensive catcher but was a free swinger at the plate, too often chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

"When we signed him, we sat him down in the office and I told him, 'I want you to go to Omaha and improve your plate discipline and get yourself into offensive counts.' He did that and he came to the big leagues and displayed it too," Baird said.

Castillo batted .270 in 29 games and had more walks (14) than strikeouts (10).

Other catchers in camp at Surprise, Ariz., will include Paul Phillips and Justin Huber.

Phillips, a good catch-and-throw guy, hit .312 last year for Omaha after missing most of the previous three seasons because of right elbow surgery. His comeback performance earned him his Major League debut last September.

Huber, obtained from the Mets' organization, is viewed as potentially a stronger hitter than Buck but not as skilled defensively. So the Royals are contemplating a position change for him, possibly in the outfield. They also need to assess Huber's recovery from knee surgery that kept him out the second half of the season.