William Henry "Skeeter" Barnes (born March 3, 1957) is a retired
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), ...
utility player
In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo.
The ...
for the
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
(1983–1984 and 1989),
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
(1985),
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
(1987) and
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
(1991–1994).
Biography
Barnes was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. After playing college baseball at his hometown
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
, Barnes was selected by the Reds in the 16th round of the 1978
Major League Baseball 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 ...
.
Barnes worked his way through the minors, earning promotion to the Reds in 1983 after hitting .337 for the Reds'
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
farm club.
He made his Major League debut on September 6, 1983 at
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 un ...
and was twice
hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...
. , he is the only player to be hit by more than one pitch in his debut.
Although Barnes continued to have great success at the Triple-A level for many years, he was unable to find a home in the majors. Between 1984 and 1990, he played in just 60 big-league games, including four for the 1987 National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. In four of those years, he hit .300 or better in the minors.
Barnes finally achieved stable big-league status at the age of 34, when most players have long retired. After hammering
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
pitching at a .330 clip through the first two months of the 1991 season, Barnes was called up by the Tigers. A capable fielder at several positions and a good contact hitter, he turned out to be a good fit for the Tigers, which had defensive problems and a lineup that struck out a lot. Barnes spent most of the next three seasons with the Tigers. Detroit fans appreciated his blue-collar work ethic; he was sometimes called "Crash Davis" after the fictional character in the film ''
Bull Durham
''Bull Durham'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy sports film. It is partly based upon the minor-league baseball experiences of writer/director Ron Shelton and depicts the players and fans of the Durham Bulls, a minor-league baseball team in ...
'', who had spent most of his career in the minor leagues.
During all or part of nine seasons in the majors, Barnes played in 353 games with 614 at-bats, 95 runs, 159 hits, 30 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 83 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, 41 walks, .259 batting average, .306 on-base percentage, .389 slugging percentage, 239 total bases, eight sacrifice hits, eight sacrifice flies, and three intentional walks. In the minor leagues, Barnes batted .296 for his career and had 1,773 career hits. At the time, he ranked as one of the all-time leading hitters in the minor leagues.
He retired as a player following the 1994 season, and was active in the game as a minor-league coach and manager. Barnes' post-playing jobs have included a stint as manager of the Southwest Michigan Devil Rays of the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
in 2006, two coaching stints in the Midwest League (1997–98 and 2005),
coaching in the
Southern League in 2003–04, in the
International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
(1995–96, 1999), and managing the
Lakeland Tigers
Lakeland is primarily a toponym. It may refer to:
Places Australia
*Lakeland, Queensland
Canada
*Lakeland (electoral district), a federal electoral district in Alberta
*Lakeland County, a former municipal district in Alberta
* District of La ...
in 2000.
From 2007 to present, Barnes served as the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...
minor-league outfield and base-running coordinator.
References
External links
Skeeter Barnesat Baseball Almanac
Sports PoolPura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Skeeter
1957 births
Living people
African-American baseball players
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Baseball players from Cincinnati
Billings Mustangs players
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
Cincinnati Bearcats baseball players
Cincinnati Reds players
Denver Zephyrs players
Detroit Tigers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Jacksonville Expos players
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball first basemen
Major League Baseball third basemen
Minor league baseball managers
Montreal Expos players
Nashville Sounds players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Portland Beavers players
St. Louis Cardinals players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
Toledo Mud Hens players
University of Cincinnati alumni
Waterbury Reds players
Wichita Aeros players
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American sportspeople