Daric Barton
Encyclopedia
Daric William Barton nicknamed "D.B.", is a Major League Baseball
first baseman
who plays for the Oakland Athletics
.
Barton was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft
in the 1st round as the 28th overall player selected. He was selected right out of Marina High School
in Huntington Beach, California
. Barton had signed on to attend Cal State Fullerton and play baseball
there, but accepted a one million dollar signing bonus
from the Cardinals instead.
(Cardinals' Rookie League affiliate) in , mainly playing as a catcher
. In 54 games, he batted
.291 with 4 home run
s.
In , he advanced to the Peoria Chiefs
, the then Cardinals Single-A team. He played in just 90 games for the Chiefs, batting .313 with 13 home runs. He was named to the Midwest League
Postseason All-Star team. He led the Midwest League in on-base percentage (.445), was third in the league in batting average (.313), and was fourth in the league in slugging percentage (.511).
On December 19, 2004, he was traded along with pitcher
s Dan Haren
and Kiko Calero
to the Oakland Athletics for starting pitcher
Mark Mulder
.
Barton was #32 out of 100 on Baseball America's
Top 100 Prospects list in . After having an emergency appendectomy part way through spring training
, Barton started the 2005 season slowly, but ended the year with a .317 batting average. He spent most of 2005 with the Single-A Stockton Ports
of the California League
, but also appeared in 56 games for the Double-A Midland RockHounds
of the Texas League
. He was also selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game
at PNC Park
in Pittsburgh. With the Cardinals, Barton played catcher, but the Athletics moved Barton to first base due to concerns with Barton's ability behind the plate, the negative impact catching can have on the development of a young hitter, and because the Athletics had a number of more advanced catching prospects (Kurt Suzuki
and Landon Powell
).
In , Barton once again appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, this time ranking at #28. He was also ranked as the Athletics #1 prospect. He played for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats
in 2006, but due to injuries, played in only 43 games. He batted just .259 with 2 home runs in those 43 games.
In , Barton appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, this time ranked at just #67. He was ranked as the Athletics #2 prospect behind outfielder
Travis Buck
, who ranked at #50 on the Top 100 Prospects list. Barton began the 2007 season slowly with the Sacramento River Cats, hitting just .221 in April and .273 in May. He finally got started in June when he hit .454 in 27 games. He was named to the Pacific Coast League
Mid-Season All-Star team on July 11. He finished the 2007 minor league season with a .293 batting average and 9 home runs in 137 games.
Following the 2007 minor league season, the River Cats advanced to the first round of the playoffs. They played the Salt Lake Bees
, the Angels
Triple-A affiliate. In the first round, Barton batted .550 (11-20) with 10 RBIs
. He had a power surge with 4 home runs and one of the home runs was a decisive one in Game 5 as it led the River Cats into the second round of the playoffs. He did not join the team for the second round as he had his contract purchased by the Athletics major league club on September 10. He wasn't expected to get called up until the River Cats season was over.
. In his first two plate appearances, he walked
both times. In his third plate appearance, he had his first major league hit
off Ryan Feierabend
, which was a double
. On September 14, Barton hit his first major league home run which was against Kason Gabbard
of the Texas Rangers
.
Barton played in 18 games for the Athletics in 2007. He reached base safely in all 18 games via a hit or a walk. In those 18 games played, he hit .347 (25-72) with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs.
In , Barton was the Athletics' starting first baseman. He batted just .226 with 9 home runs and 47 RBI in 140 games. During the All-Star break
, Barton dove into a shallow pool and hit his head on the bottom. He suffered a jammed neck and had to get staples to close a cut on his head.
On April 5, 2009, the day before the A's season opener, Barton was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento.
Barton began the season as the A's starting first baseman. On April 25, 2010, he fractured his finger while tumbling into the Cleveland Indian's dugout. He won a Fielding Bible Award
for his statistically-based defensive excellence during the year and led his team in runs (79), hits (152), and doubles (33). He also led the AL in walks
with 110, and was second in MLB only to Prince Fielder
.
Barton was once again selected as the starting first baseman for the Athletics at the beginning of the 2011 season. On June 22nd the A's sent Barton back to AAA Sacramento to make room for Mark Ellis. Barton was hitting .212 with no home runs at the time.
. In 5 minor league seasons, he had 313 walks as opposed to 266 strikeouts. In 2010, Barton was one of only two players in MLB to have more walks than strikeouts, the other of which was Albert Pujols
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
who plays for the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
.
Barton was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft
2003 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 3 and 4. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams.Source: -First round selections:...
in the 1st round as the 28th overall player selected. He was selected right out of Marina High School
Marina High School
Marina High School is a secondary school located in the northwest corner of Huntington Beach, California which first began operating in 1963. Marina is part of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which includes several other area high schools. The school is located on Springdale Street...
in Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...
. Barton had signed on to attend Cal State Fullerton and play baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
there, but accepted a one million dollar signing bonus
Signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee, e.g., if the annual salary is lower than he or she desires...
from the Cardinals instead.
Minor league career
Barton began his professional career with the Johnson City CardinalsJohnson City Cardinals
The Johnson City Cardinals are a rookie league team based in Johnson City, Tennessee. The Cardinals are affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and play with the Appalachian League, of which they are currently the two-time defending champions. The team plays its home games at Howard...
(Cardinals' Rookie League affiliate) in , mainly playing as a catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
. In 54 games, he batted
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.291 with 4 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s.
In , he advanced to the Peoria Chiefs
Peoria Chiefs
The Peoria Chiefs are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, from Peoria, Illinois. They play in the Midwest League....
, the then Cardinals Single-A team. He played in just 90 games for the Chiefs, batting .313 with 13 home runs. He was named to the Midwest League
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Class-A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States.-History:Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians or East Frankfort White Sox, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort...
Postseason All-Star team. He led the Midwest League in on-base percentage (.445), was third in the league in batting average (.313), and was fourth in the league in slugging percentage (.511).
On December 19, 2004, he was traded along with pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
s Dan Haren
Dan Haren
Daniel John Haren is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.- High-school and college career :...
and Kiko Calero
Kiko Calero
Enrique Nomar "Kiko" Calero is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher, who is currently a free agent.-Professional career:...
to the Oakland Athletics for starting pitcher
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
Mark Mulder
Mark Mulder
Mark Alan Mulder is a retired left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Oakland Athletics:...
.
Barton was #32 out of 100 on Baseball America's
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
Top 100 Prospects list in . After having an emergency appendectomy part way through spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
, Barton started the 2005 season slowly, but ended the year with a .317 batting average. He spent most of 2005 with the Single-A Stockton Ports
Stockton Ports
The Stockton Ports are a baseball team in Stockton, California. The Ports play in the Northern Division of the Class A – Advanced California League and are a Minor League affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Their home field is Banner Island Ballpark which seats over 5,000 people and opened in...
of the California League
California League
The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...
, but also appeared in 56 games for the Double-A Midland RockHounds
Midland RockHounds
The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas, USA. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Citibank Ballpark, located in Midland. Opened in 2002, the stadium seats...
of the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
. He was also selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game between a team of top minor league prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other parts of the World...
at PNC Park
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city's Major League Baseball franchise. It opened during the 2001 Major League Baseball season, after the controlled implosion of the Pirates' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium...
in Pittsburgh. With the Cardinals, Barton played catcher, but the Athletics moved Barton to first base due to concerns with Barton's ability behind the plate, the negative impact catching can have on the development of a young hitter, and because the Athletics had a number of more advanced catching prospects (Kurt Suzuki
Kurt Suzuki
is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Oakland Athletics.-College career:Suzuki played at Cal State Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton captured the 2004 College World Series championship, thanks to Suzuki's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Titans a 3-2 win over the...
and Landon Powell
Landon Powell
Landon Reed Powell is a catcher and first baseman for the Oakland Athletics.Powell attended the University of South Carolina. In 2002, his first season playing for them, he had a .292 batting average with 12 home runs and was part of the team that went to the College World Series...
).
In , Barton once again appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, this time ranking at #28. He was also ranked as the Athletics #1 prospect. He played for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....
in 2006, but due to injuries, played in only 43 games. He batted just .259 with 2 home runs in those 43 games.
In , Barton appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list, this time ranked at just #67. He was ranked as the Athletics #2 prospect behind outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
Travis Buck
Travis Buck
Travis George Buck is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball.-College career:...
, who ranked at #50 on the Top 100 Prospects list. Barton began the 2007 season slowly with the Sacramento River Cats, hitting just .221 in April and .273 in May. He finally got started in June when he hit .454 in 27 games. He was named to the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
Mid-Season All-Star team on July 11. He finished the 2007 minor league season with a .293 batting average and 9 home runs in 137 games.
Following the 2007 minor league season, the River Cats advanced to the first round of the playoffs. They played the Salt Lake Bees
Salt Lake Bees
The Salt Lake Bees are a Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bees serve as the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They play their home games at Spring Mobile Ballpark, known to fans as the Apiary, which was...
, the Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
Triple-A affiliate. In the first round, Barton batted .550 (11-20) with 10 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He had a power surge with 4 home runs and one of the home runs was a decisive one in Game 5 as it led the River Cats into the second round of the playoffs. He did not join the team for the second round as he had his contract purchased by the Athletics major league club on September 10. He wasn't expected to get called up until the River Cats season was over.
Major league career
Barton made his major league debut on September 10, , against the Seattle MarinersSeattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
. In his first two plate appearances, he walked
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
both times. In his third plate appearance, he had his first major league hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
off Ryan Feierabend
Ryan Feierabend
Ryan Robert Feierabend is a left-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher who is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies organization with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs....
, which was a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. On September 14, Barton hit his first major league home run which was against Kason Gabbard
Kason Gabbard
Kason Ronald Gabbard is a starting pitcher who is a free agent. He bats and throws left-handed.-High school:Gabbard played high school baseball at Royal Palm Beach High School in Royal Palm Beach, Florida...
of the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
.
Barton played in 18 games for the Athletics in 2007. He reached base safely in all 18 games via a hit or a walk. In those 18 games played, he hit .347 (25-72) with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs.
In , Barton was the Athletics' starting first baseman. He batted just .226 with 9 home runs and 47 RBI in 140 games. During the All-Star break
2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 79th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was played at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, New York, home of the New York Yankees, on...
, Barton dove into a shallow pool and hit his head on the bottom. He suffered a jammed neck and had to get staples to close a cut on his head.
On April 5, 2009, the day before the A's season opener, Barton was demoted to Triple-A Sacramento.
Barton began the season as the A's starting first baseman. On April 25, 2010, he fractured his finger while tumbling into the Cleveland Indian's dugout. He won a Fielding Bible Award
Fielding Bible Award
A Fielding Bible Award recognizes the best defensive player for each fielding position in Major League Baseball based on statistical analysis. John Dewan and Baseball Info Solutions conduct the annual selection process...
for his statistically-based defensive excellence during the year and led his team in runs (79), hits (152), and doubles (33). He also led the AL in walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
with 110, and was second in MLB only to Prince Fielder
Prince Fielder
Prince Semien Fielder is a Major League Baseball free agent who plays first base. He is currently listed at 5' 11" and . He was selected by the Brewers in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft out of Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida.He is the son of former Detroit...
.
Barton was once again selected as the starting first baseman for the Athletics at the beginning of the 2011 season. On June 22nd the A's sent Barton back to AAA Sacramento to make room for Mark Ellis. Barton was hitting .212 with no home runs at the time.
Scouting Report
Barton hits for average and is known to be a patient hitter who hits for a high on-base percentage and walks more than he strikes outStrikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
. In 5 minor league seasons, he had 313 walks as opposed to 266 strikeouts. In 2010, Barton was one of only two players in MLB to have more walks than strikeouts, the other of which was Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols
José Alberto Pujols Alcántara , better known as Albert Pujols , is a Dominican-American professional baseball player, who is currently a free agent...
.