Jesse Barfield
Blessed with one of the most powerful and accurate throwing arms in baseball, Jesse Barfield was rarely tested by opposing runners. Nevertheless, the right fielder still amassed 162 assists from his outfield spot in 12-year career with the Blue Jays and Yankees. He led the American League in homers in 1986, and teamed with George Bell and Lloyd Moseby in Toronto to form one of the best outfields in baseball history.
Played For
Toronto Blue Jays (1981-1989)
New York Yankees (1989-1992)
Best Season: 1986
The Gold Glove-winning right fielder led the American League with 40 homers while batting .289 with 108 RBI.
Most Consecutive Games with an Extra-Base Hit
14 - Paul Waner, PIT NL, 6/3/1927-6/19/1927
14 - Chipper Jones, ATL NL, 6/26/2006-7/16/2006
12 - Tip O'Neill, STL AA, 8/24/1887-9/5/1887
12 - Rogers Hornsby, BOS NL, 5/27/1928(G1)-6/9/1928(G1)
11 - Rogers Hornsby, STL NL, 8/20/1924(G1)-8/27/1924
11 - Hank Greenberg, DET AL, 9/4/1940-9/14/1940
11 - Bob Bailey, MON NL, 6/22/1970(G2)-7/12/1970
11 - Jesse Barfield, TOR AL, 8/17/1985-8/27/1985
11 - Bobby Abreu, PHI NL, 5/7/2005-5/18/2005
11 - Alex Rodriguez, NY AL, 9/29/2006-4/11/2007
Where He Played
Barfield was a two-time Gold Glover in right field.
Born
Jesse Lee Barfield was born on October 29, 1959, in Joliet, IL.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: OF
Primary Team: TOR
Major League Debut
September 3, 1981
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1981
Cal Ripken Jr.
Gary Gaetti
Chili Davis
Brett Butler
Ryne Sandberg
Steve Bedrosian
Tom Brunansky
Kent Hrbek
Steve Sax
Similar Players
His arm was compared to that of Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, and Dwight Evans.
Related Players
George Bell and Lloyd Moseby.
Post-Season Appearances
1985 American League Championship Series
Post-Season Notes
Barfield hit a homer in Game Three of the 1985 ALCS, against Bret Saberhagen.
Awards and Honors
1986 AL Gold Glove
1987 AL Gold Glove
Feats
From August 17 through August 27, 1985, Barfield collected at least one extra-base hit in 11 straight games, setting an American League record. Barfield hit just one homer during the streak, but had eight doubles and a triple... In 1985, Barfield was a 20-20 man for the Blue Jays, hitting 27 homers while swiping 22 bases.
Transactions
June 7, 1977: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 9th round of the 1977 amateur draft.
April 30, 1989: Traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Yankees for pitcher Al Leiter.
November 4, 1992: Granted Free Agency.
All-Star Selections
1986 AL
Replaced
Barry Bonnell
Replaced By
After his trade to the Yankees, the Jays replaced Barfield with Junior Felix... In New York, Barfield was supplanted by Danny Tartabull.
Best Strength as a Player
His throwing arm.
Largest Weakness as a Player
The tendency to whiff.
Learn More about Jesse Barfield
Search Amazon.com for Books about Jesse Barfield ⇒
Search for Jesse Barfield at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
Sources used for the Jesse Barfield Player Page:
Trent McCotter, SABR
