Old Time Family Baseball

Baseball Card of the Week:

If I had all the time in the world, I’d like to count up how many baseball cards feature a ballplayer bunting and how many of those players ended up with significant Major League careers. I’m guessing there’s not many. Exhibit A: Skeeter Barnes.

Barnes received cups of coffee with the Reds, Cardinals, Expos, and Reds again between 1983 and 1989, never receiving more than 46 plate appearances, before blossoming into the Tigers’ utility man for three years between ‘91 and ‘93. Shockingly, though, Skeeter only had 8 sacrifice hits in his career, making this card a true rarity.

Even odder, Barnes went 0-for-3 with 0 steals and 1 caught stealing in 1989, putting him in the rare of camp of only 50 ballplayers to finish a season with 0 hits, 0 steals, and at least 1 caught stealing. I’m not sure who the most infamous member of this group should be though, with Herb Hunter (0-for-2, 3 CS) and Randy Tate (0-for-41, 1 CS) vying for the title.

Also, sadly, Skeeter Barnes is not this Skeeter Barnes, the barbecue master.