John Barnes

Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records

John Barnes was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball for 10 teams, including the Cleveland Tate Stars. In 220 career games, he hit .256 with 172 hits, 5 home runs, and 83 RBI.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .256
HR 5
RBI 83
H 172
OPS .649
PIV -1,417
Position
Catcher
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 240 lb
Born
6/5/1903 in Pensacola, FL, USA
Died
8/27/1972 in Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

Full name: John Cleveland Barnes

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Career Batting Statistics

John Barnes — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
220 673 82 172 32 5 5 83 4 49 0 .256 .309 .340 .649 -1,417

Career AVG .256 vs. league average .284 across their career seasons — 9.9% below league average.

Career OBP .309 vs. league average .346 across their career seasons — 10.6% below league average.

Career SLG .340 vs. league average .398 across their career seasons — 14.5% below league average.

Career OPS .649 vs. league average .744 across their career seasons — 12.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

John Barnes (b. 1903) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1922 CTS NNL 35 112 11 24 5 1 0 11 1 6 0 .214 .285 (-25%) .345 (-27%) .397 (-30%) .743 (-29%) -537.8
1923 TT NNL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1924 DS NNL 11 34 7 9 2 1 1 4 0 3 0 .265 — — — — 0.0
1924 CBN NNL 6 22 6 6 2 1 0 2 0 4 0 .273 — — — — 0.0
1925 SLS NNL 57 179 28 56 12 0 2 32 2 13 0 .313 .288 (+9%) .349 (+3%) .407 (+2%) .756 (+2%) 72.6
1926 SLS NNL 2 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 .333 — — — — 0.0
1926 CEL NNL 10 40 6 13 3 0 0 7 0 4 0 .325 — — — — 0.0
1926 ABC NNL 10 28 2 9 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .321 — — — — 0.0
1927 CHT NNL 25 67 9 12 1 0 1 6 0 8 0 .179 .282 (-37%) .344 (-23%) .392 (-39%) .736 (-31%) -332.6
1928 CTG NNL 6 12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1930 MRS NNL 53 164 10 42 7 2 0 20 1 7 0 .256 .293 (-13%) .354 (-18%) .429 (-25%) .784 (-22%) -619.7
1931 SLS NNL 4 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 12 seasons 220 673 82 172 32 5 5 83 4 49 0 .256 — — — — -1,417

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

John Barnes — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 5 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .200

Playoff Batting by Year

John Barnes — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1925 NNC SLS 2 5 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .200

Game Log & Splits

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

John Barnes — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Away100000—

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

John Barnes — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 1 1 10 0 0 0
3B 2 0 4 3 0 1
C 200 138 661 106 17 16
SS 1 0 0 0 0 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

John Barnes — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1922 CTS 1B 1 1 10 0 0 0
1922 CTS 3B 2 0 4 3 0 1
1922 CTS C 33 33 166 32 5 3
1923 TT C 1 0 2 0 0 0
1924 DS C 10 9 44 7 0 1
1924 CBN C 6 6 40 8 0 1
1925 SLS C 54 0 1 1 0 0
1925 SLS SS 1 0 0 0 0 0
1926 SLS C 2 2 7 1 1 0
1926 CEL C 10 10 44 7 4 4
1926 ABC C 7 7 23 4 0 0
1927 CHT C 23 22 89 11 1 1
1928 CTG C 4 4 15 3 0 0
1930 MRS C 46 42 213 29 6 6
1931 SLS C 4 3 17 3 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

John Barnes (b. 1903) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Catcher 200
First Base 1
Third Base 2
Shortstop 1

John Barnes: the record in brief

John Barnes's record on this page is drawn from the season tables, which run from 1922 to 1931. The season rows list, in order, the Cleveland Tate Stars (1922), the Toledo Tigers (1923), the Detroit Stars (1924), the Cleveland Browns (1924), the St. Louis Stars (1925 through 1931), the Cleveland Elites (1926), the Indianapolis ABCs (1926), and the Cleveland Hornets (1927), among other clubs in the table. At 6'0" and 240 pounds, Barnes is listed as a catcher. The bio says Barnes threw right-handed and batted left-handed. The recorded birth is June 5, 1903, in Pensacola, FL, USA. The bio records the death on August 27, 1972, in Cleveland Heights, OH, USA. Barnes's full given name, per the bio, is John Cleveland Barnes.

Across 220 games at the plate, Barnes's career line reads 172 hits in 673 at bats for a .256 average; the totals also include 5 homers and 83 runs batted in. Barnes got on base at a .309 rate and slugged .340 (.649 OPS). Measured against the leagues Barnes played in, the .256 career average compares with a .284 league average over the same seasons, 9.9% below the league.

Frequently Asked Questions about John Barnes

Was John Barnes a pitcher?
No. John Barnes was a position player (Catcher).
How many home runs did John Barnes hit?
John Barnes hit 5 career home runs with 172 hits.
What was John Barnes's career batting average?
John Barnes batted .256 over his career, with 172 hits in 673 at bats.
How many RBI did John Barnes have?
John Barnes drove in 83 runs in his career.
Is John Barnes in the Hall of Fame?
No. John Barnes has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
What teams did John Barnes play for?
John Barnes played for the Cleveland Tate Stars, the Toledo Tigers, the Detroit Stars, the Cleveland Browns, the St. Louis Stars, and the Cleveland Elites, among 10 clubs in all.