Waterloo, IA – Former Waterloo Bucks left-handed pitcher Eric Stout was called up to the big leagues Tuesday by the Kansas City Royals. Stout 
becomes the 14th former Buck to make it to the show and joins Kansas City infielder Ryan Goins and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dan Jennings as former Bucks who are active Major Leaguers.
Stout, who played with Waterloo in 2013, started this season in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with the Omaha Storm Chasers, compiling a 1-0 record, a 4.70 ERA, and 6 strikeouts in 7.2 innings pitched. Last season for Omaha, Stout finished with a 5-2 record and 2.99 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched.
A product of Butler University, Stout appeared in 10 games for the Bucks in 2013, starting nine. Stout went 2-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 41 strikeouts. The following season, Stout was taken in the 13th round with the 393rd pick of the 2014 Major League Baseball Amateur Entry Draft by the Royals.
Stout is the first former Buck to be called up to the Majors since Cameron Perkins was given the nod by the Philadelphia Phillies last June. Below is a list of former Bucks who have made it to the Majors.
| PLAYER | MLB DEBUT | DEBUT TEAM | SEASONS WITH BUCKS |
| Matt Cepicky | 7/31/2002 | Montreal Expos | 1997 |
| Wes Obermueller | 9/20/2002 | Kansas City Royals | 1996 |
| Jeff Duncan | 5/20/2003 | New York Mets | 1998 |
| Jimmy Journell | 6/29/2003 | St. Louis Cardinals | 1997 |
| Clint Barmes | 9/5/2003 | Colorado Rockies | 1999-2000 |
| Tim Gradoville | None** | Philadelphia Phillies | 2001 |
| Curtis Thigpen | 6/6/2007 | Toronto Blue Jays | 2002 |
| Willie Collazo | 9/5/2007 | New York Mets | 1999 |
| Dan Jennings* | 4/30/2012 | Miami Marlins | 2006-07 |
| Evan Reed | 5/16/2013 | Detroit Tigers | 2005 |
| Ryan Goins* | 8/23/2013 | Toronto Blue Jays | 2008 |
| James Jones | 4/18/2014 | Seattle Mariners | 2008 |
| Cameron Perkins | 6/20/2017 | Philadelphia Phillies | 2011 |
| Eric Stout* | Kansas City Royals | 2013 | |
| * denotes active Major Leaguer | |||
| ** denotes called up to MLB, but never played | |||
The Bucks open the 2018 season at home on May 29 versus the La Crosse Loggers at Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium where the team welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association. Team ownership has invested more than $170,000 in improvements since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, kids zone inflatables, and concessions equipment. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch during the off-season with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.
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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.