Greg Bargar
From BR Bullpen
Greg Robert Bargar
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 185 lb.
- School El Camino College, University of Arizona
- Debut July 17, 1983
- Final Game October 2, 1986
- Born January 27, 1959 in Inglewood, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Greg Bargar was a key member of the University of Arizona baseball team which won the 1980 College World Series. He was then selected by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 1980 amateur draft, two rounds after his college teammate Terry Francona was also drafted by the Expos. He started his professional career straight at the AA level with the Memphis Chicks of the Southern League. After a fast start at Memphis in 1981, he was promoted to the AAA Denver Bears, but this began a nasty cycle of pitching very well in AA, only to be pummelled in AAA, as his 6.03 ERA with 51 walks in 91 innings demonstrates. He started the 1982 season with the AAA Wichita Aeros, but had to be sent back down to AA when his ERA stood at an ungodly 11.20 after 8 starts. He was back at Memphis for the start of the 1983 season, then earned a promotion to Wichita on May 20, where at least he was winning ball games even if his ERA ballooned once again in the hitter-friendly park. His record stood at a combined 10-6 when the Expos called him up on July 14.
Greg Bargar had a memorable Major League debut on July 17 at Atlanta [1], pitching seven scoreless innings against the defending National League West champions to earn his first Major League victory, stopping a six-game losing skid in the process. At that point, the Expos were desperate for a fifth starter in order to compete in the wide open pennant race, and the hype surrounding Bargar's solid debut was very loud. He got knocked around in his next two starts, but still earned another win, and then, inexplicably, Manager Bill Virdon decided that he had seen enough: Bargar would not start another game all year, only pitching five games in relief over the last two months of the season.
With Virdon still at the helm in 1984, Greg Bargar returned to AAA, this time with the Indianapolis Indians, and was their workhorse on the mound as they finished on top of the American Association, starting 29 games with a 9-8, 4.64 record and 121 strikeouts in 180.1 innings. He was recalled to Montreal on September 10, after Virdon had been fired, and was asked to make an emergency start the next day when Charlie Lea was sidelined with a back injury. He lost that game, and then was only used for two more meaningless relief appearances until the rest of the year. He returned to Indianapolis in 1985, but his season was disastrous, with a 5-17 record even though his peripheral statistics remained decent. He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals for catcher Randy Hunt at the beginning of spring training in 1986. He made the team out of spring training and got his first real chance to show his stuff, but he was tagged for 36 hits in 27 innings over 22 games before the Cardinals soured on him, putting an end to his career as a Major League pitcher.
Greg Bargar always had good stuff and looked the part of a Major League pitcher; he threw an above-average fastball that he could mix with a slider and an occasional forkball, but his control was always his Achilles' heel: he gave up 25 walks in a little over 55 innings in the majors, and his walk rates in the minor leagues were always on the high side, even when he was successful.
