Jesse Barfield

Jesse Lee Barfield (born October 29, 1959 in Joliet, Illinois) was a Major League Baseball player who played for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees over parts of 12 seasons. A rightfielder, he was a regular player for nine seasons, 1982 to 1990.

Barfield was most famous for his powerful throwing arm, universally hailed as the strongest outfield arm of his time and perhaps the best in the history of the major leagues. Barfield led the American League in outfield assists five times, a remarkable total, since opposing runners tend to stop testing skilled thowers.

He became a member of the Blue Jays' organization in 1977, getting drafted in the ninth round of the amateur draft. He joined the Blue Jays in 1981 and was a regular by 1982. He helped Toronto reach the playoffs for the first time in 1985. In 1988, Barfield was traded to the New York Yankees for pitcher Al Leiter. Injuries and ineffectiveness forced his retirement in 1992 at age 32.

Despite the Blue Jays' failure to defend their division title from the previous year, Barfield enjoyed his best personal season in 1986. He led the major leagues with 40 home runs, becoming the first Blue Jay to do so. He was awarded the Gold Glove and selected to the was selected to the American League All-Star team for the only time in his career in that year.

Barfield won his second Gold Glove in 1987, however his offensive numbers declined noticeably. He retired with a .256 career batting average, 241 home runs, and 716 RBIs.

External links

• Jesse Barfield's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com