| Barry Foote | |
|---|---|
 Foote in 1981 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1952-02-16)February 16, 1952 (age 73) Smithfield, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 14, 1973, for the Montreal Expos | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 8, 1982, for the New York Yankees | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .230 |
| Home runs | 57 |
| Runs batted in | 230 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
Barry Clifton Foote (born February 16, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player,scout,coach, and minor leaguemanager. He played as acatcher inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theMontreal Expos (1973–1977),Philadelphia Phillies (1977–1978),Chicago Cubs (1979–1981), andNew York Yankees (1981–1982).[1] Although he was highly regarded as a younger player, he suffered numerous injuries and played most of his baseball career as areserve player.[2]
Foote (pronounced Foot) was born inSmithfield, North Carolina where he attendedSmithfield-Selma High School.[1] He was drafted by the Montreal Expos as the third overall pick in the first round of the1970 Major League Baseball Draft held on June 4,1970.[3][4] While playing for the Expos'minor league affiliate, theQuebec Carnavals in1972, Foote was selected as the catcher for theEastern LeagueAll-Star team.[5]
Foote made his major league debut with the Expos on September 14,1973 at the age of 21.[1] He was highly regarded as arookie by then-Expos managerGene Mauch, who called him, "The nextJohnny Bench".[2][6] Foote replacedJohn Boccabella as the Expos catcher in1974, and seemed to bear out Mauch's prediction for greatness, when he hit for a .262batting average along with 11home runs, 60runs batted in, a .414slugging percentage and a league-leading 12sacrifice flies in 125games.[1] He also ledNational League catchers with 83assists.[7] Foote was named to the1974Topps All-Star Rookie Team.[8]
As a measure of how highly regarded Foote was as a catcher, in1975, the Expos shifted futureHall of Fame catcherGary Carter to right field.[9] Foote's performance suffered in his sophomore year of1975, as his batting average fell dramatically to .195 in 118 games.[1] In September, Foote suffered a torn cartilage and underwent knee surgery after the season ended.[10] In1976, he split catching duties with Gary Carter and by the1977 season, Carter had replaced Foote as the Expos' starting catcher.[11][12]
On June 15,1977, the Expos traded Foote along withDan Warthen to the Philadelphia Phillies forWayne Twitchell andTim Blackwell.[4] Foote served as the Phillies back up catcher behindBob Boone andTim McCarver as they went on to win the1978National League Eastern Division title before losing to theLos Angeles Dodgers in the1978 National League Championship Series.[13] He appeared in only one game of the series as apinch hitter,striking out in his only at bat.[14]
Foote was then traded to the Chicago Cubs for catcherDave Rader in1979.[1] The Cubs immediately made Foote their starting catcher.[15] He was the Cubs' catcher in a memorable game atWrigley Field on May 17,1979 when his former team, the Phillies, defeated the Cubs by a score of 23 to 22.[16] He ended the 1979 season having played in a career-high 132 games and hit 16home runs, also a career high.[1] On April 22,1980, during a game against theSt. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, Foote had eight runs batted in, including a game-winninggrand slam home run.[17] A back injury curtailed Foote's playing time in 1980 and, he appeared in only 63 games.[1][18]
The New York Yankees tradedTom Filer for Foote on April 27,1981 to fill the gap left by injured catcher,Rick Cerone.[4] Foote hit a home run in his first at bat for the Yankees and hit five home runs in his first seven games with the team.[19][20] The1981 season was then halted when theMajor League Baseball Players Association voted unanimously tostrike on May 29. The season resumed on August 9 after the All-Star game, but Foote was used sparingly for the remainder of the season. He played in the1981 World Series for the Yankees, but struck out in his only at-bat.[14] Foote went on theinjured reserve list in June1982 after suffering back spasms.[21] He was assigned to theColumbus Clippers in July 1982 to make room on the roster when Rick Cerone returned from an injury.[22] Foote played in his final major league game on August 8, 1982 at the age of 30.[1] On March 25,1983, he was released by the New York Yankees on the last day ofspring training.[4]
In a ten-year major league career, Foote played in 687games, accumulating 489hits in 2,127at bats for a .230 career batting average along with 57 home runs and 230 runs batted in.[1] As a catcher, he had a .986 careerfielding percentage.[1] Former all-time leader in career stolen bases,Lou Brock, considered Foote one of the toughest catchers on which to attempt a steal of second base.[23]
Following his playing career, Foote signed a four-year contract with the Yankees to work as a scout.[24] He later became a manager in the Yankees and the Blue Jays organizations.[25] Foote was named Manager of the Year with theFort Lauderdale Yankees of theFlorida State League in1984, and Manager of the Year with theMyrtle Beach Blue Jays of theSouth Atlantic League in1987.[26] Both teams won their respective league championships. Foote also served as a coach for the Chicago White Sox in1990 and1991 and the New York Mets in1992 and1993.[27]
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