:John Barfield

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=John Barfield

|image=John Barfield.JPG

|position=Pitcher

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{birth date|1964|10|15}}

|birth_place=Pine Bluff, Arkansas, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|2016|12|24|1964|10|15}}

|death_place=Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=September 7

|debutyear=1989

|debutteam=Texas Rangers

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=August 1

|finalyear=1991

|finalteam=Texas Rangers

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Win–loss record

|stat1value=8–8

|stat2label=Earned run average

|stat2value=4.72

|stat3label=Strikeouts

|stat3value=53

|teams=

Texas Rangers ({{mlby|1989}}–{{mlby|1991}})

}}

John David Barfield (October 15, 1964 – December 24, 2016) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during three seasons (1989 to 1991) at the major league level for the Texas Rangers. He pitched in the affiliated minor leagues through 1997 and concluded his career the next year in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He died in a shooting in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Early life

Barfield attended Pine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He starred for the baseball team, which won a state championship.{{cite web|title=Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Barfield shot to death|url=http://wreg.com/2016/12/27/former-texas-rangers-pitcher-john-barfield-shot-to-death/|website=WREG.com|accessdate=December 31, 2016|date=December 27, 2016}} Barfield played in the same Pine Bluff baseball program that produced future Rangers pitcher Mike Jeffcoat.{{cite web|last1=Stevenson|first1=Stefan|title=Former Texas Rangers pitcher dies in Arkansas shooting|url=http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/mlb/texas-rangers/article123024684.html|publisher=Fort Worth Star-Telegram|accessdate=January 2, 2017|date=December 26, 2016}} Barfield played college baseball at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, and at Oklahoma City University.{{cite web|last1=Newsome|first1=John|last2=Ellis|first2=Ralph|title=Former Texas Rangers pitcher John Barfield shot to death|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/26/us/john-barfield-mlb-veteran-killed/index.html|website=CNN.com|accessdate=December 31, 2016|date=December 26, 2016}} He was drafted by the Rangers in the 11th round (267th overall) of the 1986 amateur draft.

Career

Barfield played his first professional season with the Class A-Advanced Daytona Beach Admirals and Salem Redbirds in {{baseball year|1986}}. By 1988, he had advanced to the Class AA Tulsa Drillers, where he was on the pitching staff with future major leaguers Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers and Steve Wilson. Barfield was a Texas League All-Star and finished with a 9–9 record with a 2.88 earned run average (ERA).{{cite web|last1=Lewis|first1=Barry|title=Pro baseball: Remembering former Drillers pitcher John Barfield|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/sports/probaseball/pro-baseball-remembering-former-drillers-pitcher-john-barfield/article_ad5c8efd-8f5a-5868-b8b0-29845e9c600c.html|website=Tulsa World|accessdate=December 31, 2016|date=December 27, 2016}}

He made his MLB debut in 1989. He appeared in four games for the Rangers that year, two of them starts, and he gave up eight earned runs in {{fract|11|2|3}} innings. The next year, he appeared in 33 games, all as a relief pitcher.{{cite web|title=John Barfield Stats|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barfijo01.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=December 31, 2016}} In 1991, Barfield was the long reliever for the Rangers, but in June, with starting pitchers Bobby Witt and Scott Chiamparino on the disabled list, Barfield made his first start of the season. He pitched {{fract|6|2|3}} innings and earned the win.{{cite news|title=Two hits enough for Rangers to tip Sox|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NKw_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=flYMAAAAIBAJ&dq=john-barfield%20barfield-said&pg=5545%2C2698242|work=Times-Union|agency=Associated Press|date=June 12, 1991}} He started several more games that season, but he developed a rib fracture which caused pain and poor pitching during his last three starts. In August, the injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Barry|title=Rib robs Rangers' Barfield|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/rib-robs-rangers-barfield/article_4071d8c3-fac6-5920-8522-9702bc610c97.html|accessdate=December 31, 2016|work=Tulsa World|date=January 29, 1992}}

Between 1992 and 1997, pitched for minor league affiliates of several organizations and spent some time in the Mexican League. His last season in the affiliated minor leagues was with the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. In 1998, he pitched in the independent Atlantic League for the Newark Bears and the Atlantic City Surf, winning one of his seven decisions that year.{{cite web|title=John Barfield Minor, Mexican & Independent Leagues Statistics & History|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.cgi?id=barfie002joh|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=December 31, 2016}}

Death

Barfield was shot during a dispute at his apartment in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, on December 24, 2016. He was taken to a hospital, where he died during surgery.{{cite web|last1=Lancaster|first1=Marc|title=Former Rangers pitcher John Barfield shot to death|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/john-barfield-rangers-shot-killed-little-rock-arkansas-suspect-william-goodman/oz0jj7pnpbpx1jo61793twbj2|website=Sporting News|accessdate=December 31, 2016|date=December 26, 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/dec/26/ex-pitcher-mourned-as-talented-caring-2/|title=Former MLB pitcher fatally shot Christmas Eve in Little Rock mourned as talented, caring|first1=Ryan|last1=Tarinelli|website=arkansasonline.com|date=December 26, 2016|accessdate=December 26, 2016}} A 59-year-old acquaintance named William Goodman, who was the estranged husband of Barfield's girlfriend Mystic Goodman, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/mar/01/man-accused-fatally-shooting-former-mlb-pitcher-li/|title=Man accused of fatally shooting former MLB pitcher in Little Rock pleads not guilty|first1=Gavin|last1=Lesnick|website=arkansasonline.com|date=March 1, 2017|accessdate=March 1, 2017}} On August 10, 2017, Goodman was convicted of manslaughter after a Pulaski County jury concluded that the killing was reckless but not deliberate and Goodman was sentenced to the maximum 25 years in prison with a $10,000 fine. Goodman was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter and 15 years for firearm enhancement, with the sentences to be served consecutively.{{cite web|url=http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2017/aug/11/ex-pitcher-s-slaying-not-deliberate-jur/|title=Ex-MLB pitcher's killing in Little Rock reckless but not deliberate, jury says; shooter gets 25 years|first1=John|last1=Lynch|website=arkansasonline.com|date=August 11, 2017|accessdate=August 11, 2017}}

References

External links

{{Baseballstats |mlb=110560 |espn=2265 |br=b/barfijo01 |fangraphs=1000538 |brm=barfie002joh}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbarfj002.htm Retrosheet]

Category:1964 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:2016 murders in the United States

Category:Algodoneros de Unión Laguna players

Category:American expatriate baseball players in Mexico

Category:American manslaughter victims

Category:Atlantic City Surf players

Category:Baseball players from Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Category:Birmingham Barons players

Category:Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players

Category:Caribes de Oriente players

Category:Charlotte Rangers players