Celebrating Jesse Barfield's67th Birthday
Jesse Barfield has always been one of my favorite players.
Barfield was selected in the 9th round of the 1977 amateur draft, the inaugural year for the Blue Jays and Mariners. MLB granted them the final two picks of each round, showcasing their generosity.
Barfield debuted in the majors in 1981 and spent nine seasons with the Blue Jays. He ranks near the top of several franchise leaderboards:
4th in bWAR among position players, 29.5
2nd in defensive WAR, 9.5 (behind Tony Fernandez)
11th in slugging average, .483
11th in games played, 1032
7th in home runs, 179
9th in RBI, 527
Barfield was known for his powerful bat and exceptional defense, especially his strong, accurate arm in right field and remarkable range. Some even believed he could have excelled as a center fielder. There are countless legendary stories about his arm—like throwing a ball over the center-field fence from home plate. I remember watching him snare a line drive on a bounce and fire to first for the out. Barfield led the American League in outfield assists for three straight years (1985–87), largely because teams rarely risked running on his arm. In 1985 alone, he had eight outfield double plays, and from 1985–1987, he recorded 21—more than many teams tally in an entire season.
Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, and George Bell formed an outfield trio that remains the best in Blue Jays history. During his time in Toronto, Barfield won two Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and earned an All-Star selection.
Many people contributed to my love of baseball, but the outfield of Bell, Moseby, and Barfield stands out. Watching them develop into the best outfield in baseball deepened my appreciation for the game. I often compared them to other legendary outfields—while not the greatest ever (the Tigers' trio of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach likely holds that honor), I believe Bell, Moseby, and Barfield deserve a spot among the top ten outfields of all time.
In 1989, the Blue Jays traded Barfield to the Yankees for Al Leiter—a heartbreaking deal that ultimately did not work out in Toronto's favor.
I once received a signed ball from Barfield in Cooperstown during Roy Halladay's induction. Remarkably, he looked just as he did during his playing days. He was very friendly, but the thing i noticed most was his hands were twice the size of mine.
Barfield remains active on social media: @JesseBarfield29.
Happy birthday, Jesse! Wishing you a wonderful day.
Celebrating R.A. Dickey's52nd Birthday
R.A. Dickey joined the Blue Jays via trade from the Mets, along with catchers Mike Nickeas and Josh Thole. In exchange, Toronto sent Wuilmer Becerra, John Buck, Travis d'Arnaud, and Noah Syndergaard to New York.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos sought an ace to guide the Blue Jays to the playoffs, but things didn't go as planned. Dickey spent four seasons in Toronto, posting a 49–52 record and a 4.03 ERA over 131 games (130 starts).
Dickey often started seasons slowly with the Jays. For example, in 2013 he posted a 4.80 ERA before the All-Star break and a 3.57 ERA afterward. In 2014, his ERA was 3.82 in the first half and 3.57 in the second. In 2016, he went from 5.28 in the first half to 3.56 in the second. The exception was 2015, when his ERA was 3.11 early and 4.83 after the break.
The Blue Jays reached the playoffs in 2015 and 2016. Dickey made two postseason starts in 2015: one was strong, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing just one run before being replaced by David Price; the other was rough, lasting only 1.2 innings and surrendering five runs in a loss to the Royals.
Dickey appears on several franchise pitching leaderboards:
Tied for 15th in wins.
13th in innings pitched.
18th in strikeouts
13th in starts.
Many fans were disappointed by Dickey's performance, largely because expectations were set so high after his Cy Young-winning season with the Mets. We believed he would be the ace to take us to the World Series, but it was unfair to place all those hopes on him.
Dickey came across as a genuinely good person who appeared to enjoy his time in Toronto. He was far from the typical baseball player—he took pleasure in playful media interviews, using big words to keep reporters on their toes. For us fans who appreciated his intellect, it was refreshing to see a fellow 'nerd' on the team.
In 2017, Dickey pitched for the Braves, finishing 10–10 with a 4.26 ERA in 31 starts.
Over his 15-season career, Dickey posted a 120–118 record with a 4.04 ERA in 300 starts and 100 relief appearances. His best year was 2012, when he went 20–6 with a 2.73 ERA.
Happy birthday, R.A.! Hope you have a fantastic day.
It's also Dana Eveland's43rd birthday. In 2010, Eveland made nine starts for the Blue Jays, posting a 6.45 ERA.
Eveland pitched in 11 MLB seasons, appearing in 187 games and making 61 starts. He compiled a 20–28 record with a 5.46 ERA.
Happy birthday, Dana!
