Barry Steven Evans (born November 30, 1955) is an American former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
third baseman. He played all or part of five seasons in the major leagues from until . He was born in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
.
Pro career
Barry Evans was drafted by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
in the 8th round of the June
MLB draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
out of
West Georgia. Evans did not sign with the Mets. He was drafted again the next season, this time by the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...
in the second round. Evans, upon being drafted, reported to the Padres minor league affiliate in
Walla Walla Walla Walla can refer to:
* Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named
* Place of many rocks in the Australian Aboriginal Wiradjuri language, the origin of the name of the town ...
. In his first season of pro ball, Evans batted .358 and slugged 11 home runs for the single A team. The next season, Evans was promoted to San Diego's Double-A team in
Amarillo
Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...
. There again, Evans showed his power at the plate by hitting ten home runs, and again batted over .300. The Padres rushed Evans to the big leagues, recalling him from Amarillo to the major league club, thus bypassing the Triple-A level.
On September 4, 1978, Evans made his major league debut in Atlanta against the Braves. Evans started at third and was part of an infield that included
Gene Tenace
Fury Gene Tenace (; born Fiore Gino Tenacci; October 10, 1946), better known as Gene Tenace, is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher and first baseman in Major League Baseball from through , most n ...
at first,
Mike Champion at second, and future Hall of Famer
Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National ...
at shortstop. Evans made an impressive debut, getting three hits in six at bats and driving in a run as the Padres easily beat the Braves 8-4, with
Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Jackson Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983. During a 22-year baseb ...
earning his 16th win of the season. While Evans excelled at the plate, he did make an error in his MLB debut.
Overall in his first season in the majors, Evans played in 24 games, batted .267 and drove in four runs. Evans made the Padres to start the 1979 season. He played 56 games while serving as an understudy to incumbent third baseman
Paul Dade
Lonnie Paul Dade (December 7, 1951 – August 25, 2016) was a Major League Baseball outfielder/third baseman. On June 4, 1970 he was drafted by the California Angels in the 1st round (10th pick) of the 1970 amateur draft. He played for the Ange ...
. While he did hit his first home run in the majors, he struggled at the plate, hitting only .216. Evans refused a demotion to Double-A and told the team that he would be stepping away from baseball to pursue a professional
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
career, a pursuit which would ultimately be unsuccessful.
In 1980, Evans returned to baseball and played the role of utility infielder, with
Luis Salazar
Luis Ernesto Salazar Garcia (born May 19, 1956) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball from 1980 to 1992 as a third baseman and outfielder for the San Diego Padres (1980–84, 19 ...
taking over the role of back-up third baseman. With the exception of Ozzie Smith, the entire infield saw turn over from the previous season, with former starter Dade reduced to a back-up as well. While Evans appeared in 73 games and his batting average improved, his ability to hit the long ball that he showed in the minors had failed to materialize in the majors. In 1981, Evans appeared in fewer games, with
Tim Flannery
Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist. He was awarded Australian of the Yea ...
getting more time as the main utility infielder. Even though there were multiple changes again in the Padres infield, Evans failed to capture a starting spot, as Salazar had passed Evans and was now the Padres starting third baseman.
In 1982, former
Oakland A's
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
manager
Dick Williams took over as manager of the Padres. While San Diego enjoyed a .500 season, Evans was no longer there. Evans was acquired by the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...
and split his time between the parent club and their Triple-A team, the
Columbus Clippers. Evans played in his last major league game, going hitless against the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
. After playing in the minors in 1984, Evans signed with the
Philadelphia Phillies in hopes of making it back to the majors. After spending three seasons with The Phillies Triple A team in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
, Evans retired from baseball in 1986.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Barry
Major League Baseball third basemen
San Diego Padres players
New York Yankees players
Walla Walla Padres players
Hawaii Islanders players
Maine Guides players
Columbus Clippers players
Amarillo Gold Sox players
Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
1955 births
Living people
West Georgia Wolves baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico