Remember when this NY Mets catcher was Mike Piazza for a month?

Do you remember John Buck? It wouldn't be held against you if you didn't. If you fall into the normal group of people who block out the early 2010s Mets teams from your mind, let me jog your memory. In the winter of 2012, the New York Mets made a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, sending reigning Cy Young award-winner R.A. Dickey, along with catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas, in exchange for prospects Travis D'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard.

Two other players were included in the deal by Toronto: Wuilmer Becarra and catcher John Buck.

Buck was drafted in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB Amateur Draft by the Houston Astros out of Taylorsville High School in Utah. He spent the better part of six seasons in Houston's farm system before being traded to the Kansas City Royals in a three-team trade that famously sent Carlos Beltran to Houston to make a playoff run during the 2004 season.

Buck made his MLB debut during the '04 season and played in Kansas City for six seasons. He played in 584 games, hitting 70 home runs and driving in 259 runs before signing with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010, where he'd have a career year. Earning an All-Star nod that season, Buck hit slashed .281/.314/.489 with a 114 OPS+ for Toronto.

He would spend the next two seasons as the Florida/Miami Marlins starting catcher before being traded to Toronto in November 2012 with Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, and Emilio Bonifacio, and eventually turned around to the Mets in the deal mentioned previously.

John Buck wasn't expected to be a hero for the Mets, but for a time, he was.

Mets fans were used to lackluster production from the catcher's position since the exit of Paul LoDuca, who, compared to Mike Piazza, left much to be desired. So, fans were undoubtedly hoping for the minimum in Buck's first go with the club. Little did they know a shooting star would come and go faster than you can say the name John Buck.

Buck went on a generational tear in April. He started off by hitting two home runs in the first three games of the season against the San Diego Padres. He went quiet for three against his old Marlins teammates (while driving in four runs in one game), but then hit a home run in four consecutive games; three in Philadelphia and one in Minnesota, driving in 10 runs during that span.

Buck would finish the month with 9 home runs and 25 RBI, slashing .241/.269/.579 with a 131 WRC+. Surely the month of Buck would turn into an All-Star season, right?

Nope.

In fact, Buck wouldn't even finish the season as a member of the Mets. He was traded alongside Marlon Byrd to Pittsburgh for Dilson Herrera and Vic Black. From May 1 to his trade date of August 29, Buck hit six home runs and drove in 35, slashing .215/.297/.310 with a 73 WRC+.

For a fleeting moment in time, John Buck was possibly the Mets' best hitting catcher since Mike Piazza's exit in 2005. Buck may be most remembered by fans for his custom hockey-style catcher's masks he'd sport behind the dish.

Personally, I will always remember him for that 30-day stretch where he was the best-hitting catcher in the game.