John Barnes
From SoSH
| Born: | April 24, 1976 |
| Birthplace: | San Diego, CA |
| Height: | 6'2" |
| Weight: | 205 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 4th round of the 1996 Amateur Draft |
| College: | Grossmont |
| High School: | Granite Hills (CA) |
| Teams: | Minnesota Twins 2000-2001 |
John Barnes was drafted by the Red Sox in 1996. After struggling in the minors and appearing in 20 games with the Minnesota Twins, Barnes has begun the transition from position player to knuckleball pitcher.
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Overall Career
Barnes was drafted by the Red Sox in 1996 on June 4. He signed two days later and was assigned to the GCL where he batted .277 with one home run and 17 RBI. The next year he played for the single A Michigan Battle Cats where he batted .304 with 6 home runs and 73 RBI. On July 31, 1998 he was traded with Joe Thomas (minors) and Matt Kinney to the Minnesota Twins for Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell. He impressed in 2000 with AAA Salt Lake when he hit .365 with 13 home runs and 87 RBI.
Barnes made his major league debut September 16, 2000 getting one hit and one RBI. He batted .351 in 11 games that year. He would join the Twins again in 2001, this time batting .048 in 21 at bats. He would spend the next six years in the Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves' organizations even hitting hit .323 in Triple-A for the Pirates in 2003, and in 2004, .348 in Triple-A for the Dodgers, but finding himself unable to get himself called up to The Show.
In 2006, Barnes was acquired as a minor league free agent by the Boston Red Sox, this time as a knuckleball pitcher. He went 3-8 in the low minors with an ERA in the 3's. He started one game for the Pawtucket Red Sox going 4.1 innings and giving up 3 earned runs.
Moment in the Sun
- won the Pacific Coast League batting title in 2000 and hit hit .351 in 37 at-bats with the Twins
Trivia
- in 1997, played for West Oahu CaneFires of the Hawaiian Winter League
- not to be confused with the former English soccer player, who was apparently pretty good
Quotes
"I think it’s my best chance to get back to the big leagues. It’s something I’ve always wanted to pursue, as I’ve been throwing to pitching coaches, and teammates, on the side for quite a while. I was maybe a little sub-par with the bat last year, and even when I’ve had some pretty good seasons, nothing has happened. Now seemed like a good time to try it if someone would give me a chance." -Barnes, on his decision to reinvent himself as a knuckleballer.
External Links
Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
