Everything about Jesse Barfield totally explained
Jesse Lee Barfield (born
October 29,
1959 in
Joliet, Illinois) is a former
Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the
Toronto Blue Jays (1981-89) and
New York Yankees (1989-92). He batted and threw right-handed.
Barfield was better known for his powerful throwing arm, universally hailed as the strongest outfield arm of his time, and as one of the best in major league history. It wasn't only strong, but accurate as well. He led
American League outfielders in
assists three times (1985-87), a remarkable total, since few opposing runners dared to even challenge his skilled throws. Along with
George Bell (
LF) and
Lloyd Moseby (
CF), Barfield starred in what many analysts considered the best all-around outfield of the
1980s.
Selected by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the
1977 amateur draft, Barfield debuted in the majors in
1981 and was a regular the following season. In
1985, he helped Toronto to reach the playoffs for the first time. He also topped 20
home runs six times, became the first Blue Jay to hit a
pinch grand slam (1982), and the first to hit 20 homers and
steal 20 bases in the same season (1985).
Despite the Blue Jays' failure to defend their division title from the previous year, Barfield enjoyed his best personal season in
1986. He collected career-highs in
batting average (.289),
RBI (108),
runs (107),
hits (170) and
doubles (35). Beside this, he hit a career best 40 home runs, leading the major leagues and setting a team record. In addition, Barfield was awarded the
Gold Glove Award and selected to the
American League All-Star team.
Barfield was traded to the Yankees for pitcher
Al Leiter on
April 30 . He won his second Gold Glove in
1987, but his offensive numbers declined noticeably. He hit 25 home runs for New York in 1990, but never produced like the club had hoped. Injuries and general ineffectiveness forced his retirement in
1992, at age 32, after he hit just .137 in 30 games.
He joined the
Houston Astros for spring training in 1996, and was projected to be the opening-day right-fielder, but injuries prevented him from making the ballclub.
Throughout his career Barfield was a free swinger and racked up more than 140 strike outs in five seasons ('85, '86, '87, '89 & '90). For most of his time in the major leagues his productivity overshadowed his strikeouts, however by 1990 1 in 3 Barfield at bats resulted in a strikeout.
Barfield was a career .256 hitter with 241 home runs and 716 RBI in 1428 games. He was inducted in the
Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
His son,
Josh Barfield, is a
second baseman with the
Cleveland Indians and he's another son,
Jeremy Barfield, selected by the
New York Mets during the 2006 draft.
On August 22, 2006 it was reported by the
Associated Press that Barfield's younger son,
Jeremy Barfield pushed his father down the stairs, causing Jesse to be hospitalized. The incident also resulted in Jeremy's arrest.
In June
2007, Barfield became a
color commentator for Blue Jays games on
CBC.
Popular Televangelist Joel Olsteen claims that he and Barfield are close personal friends [JoelOsteen Weekly Broadcast December 16, 2007].
Further Information
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