Bruce Barmes
From BR Bullpen
Bruce Raymond Barmes (Squeaky)
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 5' 8", Weight 165 lb.
- Debut September 13, 1953
- Final Game September 27, 1953
- Born October 23, 1929 in Vincennes, IN USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Outfielder Bruce Barmes was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators before the 1950 season. He was assigned to the Orlando Senators of the class D Florida State League for his first look at pro baseball and promptley assured the Senators they hadn't made a bad investment, as he played in 140 games and led the league in two categories, with 271 base hits and also copped the hitting title with a .372 average. This put Bruce on the All-Star team and helped his club to the league title, in his first season in the pro game.
Barmes would be with the Charlotte Hornets of the class B Tri-State League in 1951, hitting at a .311 clip and helping his team win 100 games and the league title. He was back with Charlotte in '52 and would lead the Tri-State League in hitting with a .360 average and base hits with 182, making the All-Star team and helping his team to the play-off championship.
1953 would be Bruce's year to get his one and only chance at the big leagues. He was hitting .320 for the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern Association in 144 games and the fifth place Senators called him to Griffith Stadium on September 13, 1953 and he appeared in five games with five at-bats with one base-hit, for his big league career average of .200. He was back with the Lookouts in 1954, spending the next four seasons (1954-1957) in Chattanooga averaging just over .300, but having only six home runs during this run. He was with the Omaha Cardinals the last of 1957 in 35 games and hit .339.
Bruce or "Squeaky" as he was sometimes called would spend three more seasons before leaving the game, hitting an even .300 for the Atlanta Crackers in 1958 in 140 games, appeared in 114 outings in 1959 with the Omaha Cardinals where he hit .314 and finished out his pro career in the minors with Charlotte and Charleston with a combined .293 average in 109 games. His 11 seasons of minor league work gave him a lifetime .318 hitting average with just 13 home runs in 1,439 games.
Bruce worked as a truck driver for Carolina Delivery Service and was a welder for the Martin-Marietta Company before retiring in the early 1990s.
[edit] Sources
