Clint Harrold Barmes (, born March 6, 1979) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

second baseman and

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) from 2003 through 2015 for the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

Collegiate career

Barmes attended

Olney Central College Olney Central College is a public community college in Olney, Illinois. It confers associate degrees and technical certificates and also offers online bachelor's degrees through its affiliation with Franklin University. Olney Central College is a ...

and

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

. While at Indiana State, Barmes was voted All-Region by the ABCA and All-Conference. Barmes teamed with

Mitch Stetter Mitchel Blake Stetter (born January 16, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers. College Stetter attended Indiana State University, where he ...

to lead the Sycamores to the semi-finals of the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

Tournament. Barmes played one season at Indiana State in 2000 after transferring from Olney Central College. Barmes led the Sycamores in hitting during his lone season at ISU, posting a .375 batting average with 93 hits, 18 doubles, seven triples and 10 home runs with 63 runs scored, 37 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases. Indiana State went 31-28-1 on the diamond in 2000, reaching the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.

Professional career

Colorado Rockies

Minors

Drafted by the Rockies in 2000 out of

, Barmes played three seasons of minor league baseball before reaching the majors with Colorado. He spent time in subsequent seasons (2004–2005, 2007–2008) for rehabilitation and demotions. In 2002, he was a post-season All-Star for the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

of the Southern League; in 2004, he was a post-season All-Star for the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockies ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

and 2007, he was a mid-season All-Star for the

of the

2003–05 seasons

From 2003 to 2004, Barmes posted a .292 batting average with two home runs and 12

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

in 32

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. In 2005 in 81 games Clint hit .289, 10 home runs, and 46 RBIs. IMG 1781 Clint Barmes

2005 season

On Opening Day at

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The ...

, Barmes hit a game-winning, walk-off home run off

Trevor Hoffman Trevor William Hoffman (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2010. A long-time closer, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego ...

of the

, becoming the first Rockies rookie to hit such a home run. At the end of the month, MLB selected Barmes as the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

''Rookie of the Month'' for April. Barmes, who hit .410 with four home runs and 14 RBIs, also became the third player in MLB history to hit .400 or better in March/April, joining the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

' Willie Randolph in 1980 and

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in ...

' Andrés Galarraga in 1986. In June, Barmes suffered an injury that sidelined him until September after breaking his left collarbone in a fall while carrying a package of deer meat given to him as a gift by Todd Helton up the stairs in his apartment building on June 5. (Barmes initially told the team and the press that he got hurt carrying groceries, but later admitted that this was not the truth. He claimed that he was trying to prevent Helton from being embarrassed.) Barmes, who was leading

rookies in most offensive categories, underwent surgery on June 7. He was hitting around .400 and led the major leagues in batting average for the first six weeks of the season. After a mild slump, he was still leading NL rookies in hitting (.329), runs (40), hits (74), doubles (16), home runs (8) and RBIs (34) up until the time of his injury. His Rookie of the Year candidacy, however, was ruined by his freak injury, which he called "the craziest thing that's happened to me, by far." However, Barmes still finished eighth in the

National League Rookie of the Year In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). The aw ...

voting for the season.

2006 season

Barmes entered the 2006 season with high expectations. Many predicted a repeat of the beginning of the '05 season for Barmes in '06. Although Barmes set career highs in a number of offensive categories, his '06 season was widely considered a disappointment. He managed a subpar .220 batting average (the lowest of any starter in baseball) with only 7

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and a .264

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

2007 season

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

prior to the 2007 season began, Barmes was informed that recently drafted prospect

Troy Tulowitzki Troy Trevor Tulowitzki (born October 10, 1984), nicknamed "Tulo", is an American retired professional baseball shortstop, who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Colorado Rockies. He also played for the Toronto B ...

would be competing with him for the starting role in '07. After a spring performance that mirrored his unimpressive '06 season, Barmes ultimately lost the Rockies starting

role to Tulowitzki. Subsequently, Barmes began the regular season with the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the

. After an injury to starting second baseman

Kazuo Matsui is a Japanese retired professional baseball player who played as a shortstop and is the current manager of the Saitama Seibu Lions. He is a switch-hitter. Matsui signed with the New York Mets on December 17, 2003, becoming the first Japanese i ...

, Barmes was recalled to the Major League roster on April 15. After wearing jersey number 12 throughout his tenure in the Majors, Barmes switched to number 21 for the '07 season after veteran Steve Finley chose number 12 for the season. Not long after being recalled, Barmes was sent down to Triple-A on May 1.

2008 season

With Tulowitzki firmly entrenched in the shortstop position, Barmes entered Spring Training as one of four players aiming to start at second base for the Rockies. The job was ultimately won by

Jayson Nix Jayson Truitt Edward Nix (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yank ...

, who subsequently started the regular season very poorly. With the benching of Nix, Barmes competed with teammates

Jeff Baker Jeffrey Glen Baker (born June 21, 1981) is a German-born American former professional baseball player. He bats and throws right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, T ...

and

Omar Quintanilla Omar Quintanilla (born October 24, 1981) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Rockies (2005–2009), Texas Rangers (2011), New York Mets (2012, 2013-2014) and Baltimore Orioles (2 ...

for the starting second baseman role. Barmes would win the job. He produced very well as the second baseman, although sustained an injury that put him on the

Disabled List In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

for several weeks. Upon his return Barmes continued as the Rockies starting second baseman for the remainder of the season. Barmes walked into

prior to the 2009 season as the starting second baseman.

2009 season

In 2009, Barmes started off the season with the starting job and hit nearly .300. He went into a hitting slump and dropped down to .225, and then jumped on a hot streak and went up to .296 on June 19. He hit 23 home runs on the year.

2010 season

Started regularly at 2B for the Rockies but was switched to Shortstop following Troy Tulowitzki's wrist injury. When Tulowitzki returned from his injury Barmes moved back to 2B. Barmes struggled in the second half of the season and was benched in favor of Eric Young, Jr. He spent most of the 2nd half as a defensive replacement. Barmes finished the season hitting .235, 8 HR, and 50 RBI. IMG 9622 Clint Barmes

Houston Astros

On November 18, 2010, Barmes was traded to the

for

Felipe Paulino Felipe Albertin Paulino Del Guidice (born October 5, 1983) is a Dominican- Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Whit ...

. He got his first hit for the Astros (a two-run double) on May 3, 2011.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Barmes signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the

on November 21, 2011. On August 12, 2012, Barmes hit his first career grand slam to assist the Pirates in overturning a 5–2 deficit to an 11–5 victory against the Padres. Overall the 2012 season was not a success for Barmes, he batted .229 on 445 at bats with 8 home runs, 45 RBIs, 16 doubles, and one triple. The 2013 season started off on the same route as '12 which eventually led to him being benched in favor of rookie

Jordy Mercer Jordy Joe Mercer (born August 27, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals. Prior to beginning his ...

. Over the course of the 2013 season, Barmes platooned with Mercer at shortstop. On December 12, 2013, Barmes signed a new one-year, $2 million contract to rejoin the Pirates for 2014 as Mercer's backup.

San Diego Padres

On December 5, 2014, Barmes signed a 1-year deal with the

. On July 7, 2015, Barmes returned to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates. PNC Park played his walkup music Don't Stop Believin' by

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

to pay homage to his stint with the Bucs, and he was given a standing ovation by the fans. Clint Barmes on April 24, 2016

Kansas City Royals

On February 18, 2016, Barmes signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals as a non-roster invitee to spring training. He was released on March 28, and re-signed to another minor league contract on April 1.

Retirement

On May 23, 2016, Barmes announced his immediate retirement from baseball.

Personal life

He was married in December 2006 to Summer Dennison. The couple has a boy named Wyatt James, who was born on September 18, 2007. His uncle,

Bruce Barmes Bruce Raymond Barmes (October 23, 1929 – January 25, 2014), nicknamed "Squeaky", was an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Barmes had an outstanding minor league career, notching a .318 career batting average and 1,627 hits ...

, played in the MLB.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barmes, Clint 1979 births Living people Altoona Curve players Asheville Tourists players Baseball players from Indiana Carolina Mudcats players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Houston Astros players Indiana State Sycamores baseball players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball shortstops Oklahoma City RedHawks players Omaha Storm Chasers players People from Vincennes, Indiana Pittsburgh Pirates players Portland Rockies players Salem Avalanche players San Diego Padres players Tulsa Drillers players Waterloo Bucks players