{{short description|American baseball player (1964-2016)}} {{for|the African American businessman|John W. Barfield}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{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.<ref name="WREG">{{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}}</ref> Barfield played in the same Pine Bluff baseball program that produced future Rangers pitcher Mike Jeffcoat.<ref name="FWST">{{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}}</ref> Barfield played college baseball at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, and at Oklahoma City University.<ref name="CNN">{{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}}</ref> 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).<ref name="Tulsa">{{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}}</ref>
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.<ref name="BR">{{cite web|title=John Barfield Stats|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/barfijo01.shtml|website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=December 31, 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Tip">{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Rib">{{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}}</ref>
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.<ref name="Minors">{{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}}</ref>
==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.<ref name="SN">{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Baseballstats |mlb=110560 |espn=2265 |br=b/barfijo01 |fangraphs=1000538 |brm=barfie002joh}}, or [http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbarfj002.htm Retrosheet]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barfield, John}} 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 Category:Crowder Roughriders baseball players Category:Daytona Beach Admirals players Category:Deaths by firearm in Arkansas Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Nashville Sounds players Category:Newark Bears players Category:Oklahoma City 89ers players Category:Oklahoma City Stars baseball players Category:People murdered in Arkansas Category:Salem Redbirds players Category:San Antonio Missions players Category:Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo players Category:Texas Rangers players Category:Tiburones de La Guaira players Category:American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Category:Tulsa Drillers players Category:20th-century American sportsmen