Ross Barnes: History’s Greatest Bunter

While you may have thought Juan Pierre was a great bunter, leading all active players in bunts with 196, he was nothing in comparison to Ross Barnes.

Using his finely sculpted mustache, and taking full advantage of the “fair-foul” rule, with balls that went fair before rolling foul considered in play, Barnes squibbed many a bunt into two batting titles in the National Association in 1872 and 1873 and one in the National League in 1876.

Considered one of the greatest second basemen in the history of the game, making Cap Anson’s list as the greatest second baseman of all-time in a 1918 issue of The Sporting News, it’s a mere rule stipulation that keeps him out of the Hall of Fame. Needing 10 years of service to be eligible, Barnes managed only 9 seasons before succumbing to the effects of the “ague.”

As was noted in the obituary for Barnes in the 1916 Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide:

“Barnes was not only a good fielder of wide range, but he was a sure fielder. He played the hardest hits with so much ease that they looked easy. Almost every second baseman, who, at some time, commands so much attention that he is esteemed to be a leader, excels in some one characteristic or another. Either he is a great thrower or fields a ball better on his right side than on his left. Such was not the case with Barnes. He was almost Base Ball perfect in everything and as expert with one arm as with the other. If a one-hand stop was to be made it seemed as if he could grasp a ball as easily with his left hand as with his right.”

Of course, if we were voting on Barnes today, there would be plenty of argument over whether it was Barnes’ ill-health or the outlawing of the fair-foul hit that saw him collapse from a .398/.424/.532 hitter to the .269/.307/.315 line he posted over his last three years.

Strangely enough, only 13 people voted for Ross Barnes in Graham Womack’s latest look at the 50 best players not in the Hall of Fame, though he did make my list. Then again, I am a sucker for a well placed bunt.

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