Josh Barfield
Encyclopedia
Joshua LaRoy Barfield is a second baseman
who is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies
organization. He is the son of former major league outfielder
Jesse Barfield
. Barfield was born in Venezuela during his mother's two-week winterball
visit with his father. He attended Klein High School
in Harris County
, Texas
and holds the District 5 single season home run
record.
His younger brother Jeremy Barfield was drafted by the Oakland Athletics
on June 5, 2008, in the 8th round.
by the San Diego Padres
. In and , Baseball America
listed him as the Padres' number one prospect. In , he fell to third in the organization behind pitcher
Cesar Carrillo
and catcher
George Kottaras
.
Barfield made his major league debut April 3, , and collected his first career hit
. His first major league home run came April 17, 2006, at Coors Field
against the Colorado Rockies
, a 431-foot solo shot to left-center field, off Jeff Francis
.
On September 4, 2006, against the Rockies in PETCO Park
, Barfield hit a walk-off home run
, a three-run home run off Brian Fuentes
that gave the Padres a 7-5 victory. He claimed that he had not hit a walk-off home run at any level of baseball prior to that.
On November 8, 2006, Barfield was traded to the Cleveland Indians for third baseman
Kevin Kouzmanoff
and pitcher Andrew Brown.
Barfield began the 2007 season as the Indians everyday second basemen, but in August, after poor hitting, lost the job to Asdrubal Cabrera
. He finished 2007 with a .243 batting average
, 3 home runs, and 53 RBI
. Barfield entered spring training
in as a utility player hopeful, but was ultimately optioned to Triple-A Buffalo
.
Barfield was called up by Cleveland on June 9, 2008, to replace Cabrera, who was hitting a team low .184. At the time of his call-up, Barfield had an average of .255 with 5 homers and 21 RBI, respectively, for Buffalo. In his second game after being called up, he sprained a finger and was placed on the disabled list
on June 12, 2008.
On August 11, 2009, Barfield was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus by the Indians and removed from their 40-man roster.
On February 19, 2010, Barfield signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres
with an invite to spring training.
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
who is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
organization. He is the son of former major league 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...
Jesse Barfield
Jesse Barfield
Jesse Lee Barfield is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees . He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.Barfield was well known for his powerful, accurate throwing arm...
. Barfield was born in Venezuela during his mother's two-week winterball
Winterball
Winterball is a common name for a winter baseball league. In general, a winter baseball league does not meet the ideal conditions to play baseball, but the idea is to keep the players fit for their regular summer seasons.-Boston Men's Baseball League:...
visit with his father. He attended Klein High School
Klein High School
Klein High School is a public high school located in Klein, Texas, approximately 30 miles from downtown Houston. It serves grades 9-12 in the Klein Independent School District.-History:...
in Harris County
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and holds the District 5 single season 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...
record.
His younger brother Jeremy Barfield was drafted by 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....
on June 5, 2008, in the 8th round.
Professional career
Barfield was drafted in the fourth round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft2001 Major League Baseball Draft
-First Round Selections:-Supplemental First Round Selections:-Background:The Minnesota Twins selected St. Paul, MN native Joe Mauer with the number one pick in the 2001 draft. The 18-year-old Mauer, a catcher from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, became the seventh Minnesotan to be...
by the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
. In and , Baseball America
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...
listed him as the Padres' number one prospect. In , he fell to third in the organization behind 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...
Cesar Carrillo
Cesar Carrillo
Cesar Carrillo is an American Major League Baseball player who is a free agent. Carrillo was drafted in 2005 by the San Diego Padres 18th overall. He played college baseball at the University of Miami between 2002-2005.- High school :Carrillo attended Mt...
and 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...
George Kottaras
George Kottaras
George Kottaras is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Kottaras attended Milliken Mills High School in Markham, Ontario, Canada.-Professional baseball career:...
.
Barfield made his major league debut April 3, , and collected his first career 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....
. His first major league home run came April 17, 2006, at Coors Field
Coors Field
Coors Field, located in Denver, Colorado, is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. It is named for the Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colorado, which purchased the naming rights to the park prior to its completion in 1995...
against the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, a 431-foot solo shot to left-center field, off Jeff Francis
Jeff Francis
Jeffrey William Francis is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent.-Early life:...
.
On September 4, 2006, against the Rockies in PETCO Park
PETCO Park
Petco Park is an open-air ballpark in downtown San Diego, California, USA. It opened in 2004, replacing Qualcomm Stadium as the home park of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Before then, the Padres shared Qualcomm Stadium with the NFL's San Diego Chargers...
, Barfield hit a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
, a three-run home run off Brian Fuentes
Brian Fuentes
Brian Christopher Fuentes is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. Previously, he played for the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Minnesota Twins...
that gave the Padres a 7-5 victory. He claimed that he had not hit a walk-off home run at any level of baseball prior to that.
On November 8, 2006, Barfield was traded to the Cleveland Indians for third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Kevin Kouzmanoff is an American professional baseball third baseman who is a free agent.Kouzmanoff had trouble with various sports in high school. He got special help for batting practice, just to learn how to swing a bat for three years, implementing a swing...
and pitcher Andrew Brown.
Barfield began the 2007 season as the Indians everyday second basemen, but in August, after poor hitting, lost the job to Asdrubal Cabrera
Asdrúbal Cabrera
Asdrúbal José Cabrera is a switch-hitting infielder for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.After coming up through the Seattle Mariners organization, he was acquired by the Indians on June 30, 2006, in exchange for Eduardo Perez...
. He finished 2007 with a .243 batting average
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 :...
, 3 home runs, and 53 RBI
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...
. Barfield entered 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...
in as a utility player hopeful, but was ultimately optioned to Triple-A Buffalo
Buffalo Bisons
The Buffalo Bisons are a minor league baseball team based in Buffalo, New York. They currently play in the International League and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets...
.
Barfield was called up by Cleveland on June 9, 2008, to replace Cabrera, who was hitting a team low .184. At the time of his call-up, Barfield had an average of .255 with 5 homers and 21 RBI, respectively, for Buffalo. In his second game after being called up, he sprained a finger and was placed on the disabled list
Disabled list
In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...
on June 12, 2008.
On August 11, 2009, Barfield was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus by the Indians and removed from their 40-man roster.
On February 19, 2010, Barfield signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
with an invite to spring training.