Top Blue Jays Player #19: Jesse
Barfield
Position: Right
Fielder
Seasons With the
Jays: (1981-1989)
MLB Awards: Silver
Slugger (1986)
Gold Glove
(1986, 1987)
All-Star Game
Selection: 1986
Stats: Games Played 1032 Batting
Average .265
Base Hits 919 Runs
Scored 530
Home Runs 179 RBIs 527
Doubles
162 Triples 27
Stolen Bases 55
Walks 342
In the mid 1980s, many baseball
writers and fans considered the Toronto Blue Jays outfielders to be the best
outfield combination in all of baseball. The right fielder of that trio was
Jesse Barfield. Blessed with power and a cannon for a right arm, Barfield was a
force at the plate and in the field for the Jays throughout most of the decade.
Barfield was drafted in the
ninth round by the Blue Jays in 1977 and played in the club’s minor league
system until his promotion to the Big Leagues in 1981. He only played 25 games
that season and batted a rather unimpressive .232 with two home runs and nine
RBIs. He did play well in right field, however, not making an error in 73
chances.
He became a full-time player in
1982, playing 136 of his 139 games in right field. His average improved
slightly to .246 and he hit 18 home runs and drove in 58. His fielding
percentage was .963 and he picked up 15 assists in the outfielder, either
throwing out runners at the plate, or those trying to take an extra base on a
single or double.
The Blue Jays were contenders
for the first time in 1983 and Barfield’s numbers continued to improve. His
average was .253 and he slugged 27 home runs while adding 68 RBIs in 128 games.
While he only played 110 games in 1984, his average improved to .284, but his
power numbers dropped (14 homers, 49 RBIs).
Continued improvement happened
in 1985 when he reached 27 home runs again, drove in 84, batted .289 and stole
22 bases, becoming Toronto’s first 20-20 man. He even recorded 22 outfield
assists. The Blue Jays reached the post season for the first time in 1985 and
despite bowing out to the eventual World Champion Kansas City Royals in the
ALCS, Barfield batted .280, hit one home run and added four RBIs in what would
be the only playoff appearance of his career.
His best season was 1986 when he
put up numbers good enough to finish seventh in AL MVP voting. His average
(.289), home runs (40) and RBIs (108) were all career highs, the 40 homers led
the American League. His numbers dropped off in 1987 (.263, 28, 84) and he was
overshadowed by his teammate, left-fielder George Bell who was on his way
towards winning the AL MVP award.
Offensively, Barfield continued
to decline in 1988 (.244, 18, 56) but his excellent defense continued as he
reached double-digits in outfield assists for the seventh consecutive season.
But his defensive play couldn’t help him at the plate as his struggles
continued into the 1989 season. Nearing the end of April, he was only batting
.200 with five home runs and 11 RBIs. On the finally day of the month, the Blue
Jays traded their former All-Star right-fielder to the New York Yankees.
The greatest outfield in
baseball was no more.
With the Yankees, Barfield hit
18 home runs during the remainder of 1989 and another 25 in 1990. But his
skills started to decline and he would only play a total of 114 games over the
next two years. After the 1992 season, the Yankees decided not to resign him.
His career was over at age 32.
Follow us on Twitter at @topofthethird
No comments:
Post a Comment