Ross Barnes
From BR Bullpen
Charles Roscoe Barnes
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 8½", Weight 145 lb.
- Debut May 5, 1871
- Final Game September 21, 1881
- Born May 8, 1850 in Mount Morris, NY USA
- Died February 5, 1915 in Chicago, IL USA
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[edit] Biographical Information
Ross Barnes was one of the greatest players of the first decade of professional baseball, the 1870s. He began playing team baseball as early as 1866 in Rockford, a hotbed of early baseball, and was a big star in the National Association from 1871 to 1875 and in the new National League.
He was the first player ever to hit a home run in the major leagues while he played for the Chicago White Stockings, the ancestors of today's Chicago Cubs. He was the first player to lead two different leagues in hitting with batting titles in the National Association (1872 and 1873), and in the debut season of the National League (1876).
He specialized in "fair-foul hits", squibbed bunts that landed fair, rolled foul, but remained in play under the rules of the time.
In the January 10, 1918 issue of The Sporting News, Cap Anson picks his all-time team. Anson selects catchers Buck Ewing and King Kelly; pitchers Amos Rusie, John Clarkson, Jim McCormick; at 1B, himself; 2B Fred Pfeffer; 3B Ned Williamson; SS Ross Barnes; and outfielders Bill Lange, George Gore, Jimmy Ryan, and Hugh Duffy.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 3-time League Batting Average Leader (1872/NA, 1873/NA & 1876/NL)
- 3-time League On-Base Percentage Leader (1873/NA, 1875/NA & 1876/NL)
- 3-time League Slugging Percentage Leader (1872/NA, 1873/NA & 1876/NA)
- 3-time League OPS Leader (1872/NA, 1873/NA & 1876/NA)
- 4-time League Runs Scored Leader (1871/NA, 1873/NA, 1875/NA & 1876/NL)
- 4-time League Hits Leader (1872/NA, 1873/NA, 1875/NA & 1876/NL)
- 4-time League Total Bases Leader (1871-1873/NA & 1876/NL)
- 2-time League Singles Leader (1875/NA & 1876/NL)
- 3-time League Doubles Leader (1872/NA, 1873/NA & 1876/NL)
- NL Triples Leader (1876)
- 2-time League Bases on Balls Leader (1873/NA & 1876/NL)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 3 (1873, 1875 & 1876)
- NA Stolen Bases Leader (1873)
[edit] Further Reading
- Robert H. Schaefer: "Illness, Not Rule Changes, Ended Barnes' Career", The National Pastime, SABR, Number 20 (2000), p. 6.
