Ray Barker – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Raymond Herrell “Buddy” Barker stands out as one of those players who really captures the journeyman spirit in baseball. He spent years grinding it out in the minors before finally getting his chance in the big leagues.

This first baseman from Martinsburg, West Virginia, played parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball between 1960 and 1967. He wore the uniforms of the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees.

Barker wrapped up his professional baseball career after the 1967 season. That marked the end of over a decade spent in organized baseball.

His major league stats might not leap off the page, but honestly, his story shines a light on what pro baseball was really like in the 1960s. With a .214 batting average and 10 home runs across 192 games, there’s more to his story than just numbers. He consistently put up good performances at the Triple-A level.

Let’s take a look at Barker’s career, his stats, and how he fits into baseball history. From his early days to his retirement, Barker’s journey gives you a glimpse into the tough but rewarding life of a ballplayer during a time when the sport was really changing.

Ray Barker’s Baseball Career Overview

Ray Barker played four seasons in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1967. He mainly worked as a first baseman for three different teams.

His pro career covered seven years, but he didn’t see a ton of playing time at the major league level.

Teams Played For

Barker suited up for three MLB teams during his career. He started with the Baltimore Orioles in 1960, but only got into a handful of games during his rookie year.

In 1965, he moved to the Cleveland Indians for a short run. That same season, the Indians traded him to the New York Yankees, where he’d spend most of his time in the majors.

He played for the Yankees from 1965 through 1967. That three-year stretch with New York was the longest he’d stick with any team.

The Yankees ended up as his last major league team. He called it quits after the 1967 season, closing out his MLB career with the club that gave him the most stability.

Throughout his time in the bigs, Barker mostly served as a backup. He played in 192 total games across all three teams, picking up 68 hits in 318 at-bats for a .214 average.

MLB Debut and Final Season

Ray Barker made his MLB debut on September 13, 1960, with the Baltimore Orioles. He was 24 years old when he first got the call.

That debut came late in the 1960 season. Barker only appeared in a few games during his first year, so he didn’t have many chances to show what he could do.

After Baltimore, he spent several seasons back in the minors. He returned to the majors in 1965 with the Cleveland Indians, and then joined the Yankees that same year.

Barker played his last MLB game on May 21, 1967, as a member of the New York Yankees. That appearance wrapped up his seven-year run in professional baseball.

He retired after the 1967 season at age 31. His major league career covered parts of four seasons over seven years, with a lot of time spent developing in the minors.

Primary Positions on the Field

Barker played as a first baseman (1B) for his entire major league career. That was definitely his main spot on the diamond.

He stood 6 feet tall and weighed in at 192 pounds, which fits the mold for a first baseman. Barker hit left-handed and threw right-handed, a pretty typical combo for the position.

His defense at first base was solid enough for the majors. Still, his struggles at the plate limited how much he played and how far he could go.

Barker usually worked as a backup first baseman. He didn’t get many regular starts, so he filled in when someone else needed a break.

Some sources suggest he might have played other positions once in a while. But first base was where he spent almost all his time with the Orioles, Indians, and Yankees.

Key Statistics and Performance Metrics

Barker’s four-season MLB career produced modest offensive stats: a .214 batting average, 10 home runs, and 44 RBIs in 192 games. He mostly played first base on defense, where he posted a .987 fielding percentage over 124 games.

Batting Records

Barker’s hitting numbers show the ups and downs of being a part-time player. He finished his career with a .214 average, picking up 68 hits in 318 at-bats over four seasons.

He didn’t hit for much power. Barker knocked 10 home runs total, and seven of those came during his best 1965 season split between the Yankees and Indians.

He drove in 44 RBIs during his time in the majors. His best year for RBIs was 1965, when he brought in 31 runs over 109 games.

Barker scored 34 runs in his MLB career. Again, 1965 was his high point with 21 runs scored.

Fielding Accomplishments

Barker handled most of his defensive work at first base. He played 124 games there over three seasons, finishing with a .987 fielding percentage.

His range factor at first base was 9.74 per nine innings, which was right around the league average of 9.57. Barker turned 57 double plays during his career, showing he knew his way around the bag.

He also played three games at third base in 1965. He made four assists and didn’t commit any errors.

Early in his career, Barker got into one game in left field during his 1960 debut with Baltimore.

Major League Statistics

Barker’s major league stats cover four seasons from 1960 to 1967. He had 356 plate appearances and 318 official at-bats.

His on-base percentage landed at .283, and his slugging percentage came in at .358. That gave him an OPS of .642, which was below average for hitters in his era.

Barker struck out 76 times and walked 29 times. His strikeout rate was 23.9%, so making contact at the top level was tough for him.

He hit 16 doubles among his 68 career hits. He never managed a triple, so his extra-base hits were all doubles and home runs.

Seasonal Highlights

1965 was Barker’s best MLB season. Playing for both the Yankees and Indians, he got into 109 games and put up a .246 average, setting career highs in most categories.

His time with the Yankees from 1965-1967 gave him his longest stretch in the big leagues. He played 176 games in pinstripes, batted .222, and hit all 10 of his career home runs during that run.

In 1966, Barker played 61 games for New York. He chipped in 14 hits and three homers, mostly working in a backup role.

His last season in 1967 was pretty quiet. He only played 17 games and picked up two hits in 26 at-bats, bringing his MLB career to a close at age 31.

Advanced Metrics and Analytical Evaluations

Modern baseball analysis uses advanced stats to dig deeper than the old-school numbers. These tools help us see what players like Ray Barker really brought to the table, factoring in fielding, situations, and overall value.

Wins Above Replacement (WAR)

WAR is a stat that tries to show how many extra wins a player gives his team over a typical bench or minor league fill-in. It rolls together offense and defense into one number.

A WAR over 2.0 means a player is above average. Over 6.0? That’s MVP territory.

WAR Components:

• Batting runs above average
• Baserunning runs above average
• Fielding runs above average
• Positional adjustment
• Replacement level adjustment

First basemen like Barker get a negative positional adjustment, since it’s not the toughest spot on defense.

Sean Smith created one of the WAR formulas that analysts use most today. His work helped set the standard for comparing players across positions and eras.

Total Zone Rating

Total Zone Rating looks at defense by measuring how many runs a player saves (or costs) compared to an average fielder at his position. The system breaks the field into zones and tracks how often players make plays in their area.

Zone Rating Factors:

• Balls in play within assigned zone
• Successful plays made
• Plays made outside assigned zone
• Double plays turned

First basemen get judged on how well they handle throws from infielders and field ground balls. The stat also accounts for the difficulty of different plays.

Total Zone includes range factor, which compares how many chances a player gets per game to the league average for his position.

This system gives a more accurate read on defense than fielding percentage, since it looks at plays not made—not just errors.

Run and Win Expectancy

Run expectancy tells you the average number of runs a team should score based on the inning, score, and base-out situation. It comes in handy for figuring out the value of certain offensive plays.

Tom Tango did a lot of the heavy lifting on run expectancy at InsideTheBook.com. His tables show how many runs you can expect from each of the 24 possible base-out combos.

Key Situations:

• Runner on first, no outs: 0.831 expected runs
• Bases loaded, one out: 1.784 expected runs
• Runner on third, two outs: 0.344 expected runs

Win expectancy builds on this idea and tracks how game situations affect a team’s chances to win. A home run in the ninth means a lot more than one in the first, right?

These stats help measure clutch performance and situational hitting. They add context to Barker’s offensive numbers by showing when his hits mattered most.

Leverage Index

Leverage Index measures how much a plate appearance can swing a team’s win probability. High-leverage moments pop up when the game’s on the line.

High Leverage Situations:

• Tight games late
• Runners in scoring position
• Playoff games
• Tie games

The average leverage index is 1.0. If it’s over 1.5, that’s a big moment; under 0.5, not so much.

This stat helps spot players who come through under pressure. It separates the clutch guys from those who rack up stats when it doesn’t really matter.

For someone like Barker, leverage index gives a little more insight into how he handled pressure and whether he delivered in big spots. It helps put his regular stats in context by weighing the importance of each at-bat.

Statistical Resources and Data Providers

Plenty of baseball databases and research groups have kept Barker’s career stats alive. These sites combine old-school records with modern analysis to track his four-season MLB journey from 1960 to 1967.

Sports Reference and Baseball Databases

Baseball-Reference.com is the go-to spot for Barker’s full career stats. You’ll find his .214 batting average, 10 homers, and 44 RBIs across 192 games there. Sports Reference LLC also keeps detailed splits, including his 1967 numbers with the Yankees.

Retrosheet holds play-by-play data from Barker’s later seasons. They offer complete game logs and situational stats from his time with the Yankees, Indians, and Orioles.

The Baseball Cube adds more career details, including minor league stats. You can find Barker’s Triple-A numbers with teams like the Vancouver Mounties and Rochester Red Wings there.

Historical Data Contributors

Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette helped build the statistical systems used in today’s baseball databases. Their work on Total Baseball and other resources set the groundwork for preserving Barker’s career info.

Sports Info Solutions brings advanced stats and historical context for players from Barker’s era. Their research helps bridge the gap between old stats and today’s analytics.

Hidden Game Sports digs into situational baseball data from the 1960s. They keep detailed records of defensive positions and game situations that go beyond basic stat lines.

Visual and Logo Resources

SportsLogos.net keeps the team logos and visuals from Barker’s playing days. They’ve got the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, and New York Yankees branding from the 1960s.

Uniform databases track the look of Barker’s three teams. These resources show how the style of baseball changed during his career.

Stat visualization tools turn raw data into charts and graphs. They make it easier to see Barker’s performance trends, both for fans and researchers.

Retirement and Post-MLB Recognition

Ray Barker wrapped up his Major League Baseball career in 1967. He played his final game on May 21 with the New York Yankees.

He left professional baseball during a time when American sports were changing fast. Both the NBA and NHL were growing and shifting in big ways back then.

Retirement in 1967

Barker decided to retire at the end of the 1967 season. He’d spent seven years in pro baseball.

His last MLB appearance happened on May 21, 1967, with the Yankees. That day pretty much marked the close of his time on the field.

He finished with a .214 batting average across 192 games. In that stretch, he picked up 68 hits, 10 home runs, and 44 RBIs.

Barker played for three teams in the majors. He started out with the Baltimore Orioles in 1960.

He joined the Cleveland Indians in 1965, then wrapped up his career with the Yankees from 1965 to 1967.

It’s interesting that his retirement lined up with a time of big changes in pro sports. The NBA and NHL both expanded in 1967, so it was a busy year for sports fans.

Legacy in Baseball

Barker didn’t spend long in the big leagues, but he made a lasting impact in minor league baseball. He was

Early Life and Background

Ray Barker was born on March 12, 1936, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. That’s where he really found his love for baseball.

He started his athletic path at Martinsburg High School. There, he worked on the skills that would eventually get him to the pros.

Place of Birth and Early Years

Raymond Herrell “Buddy” Barker came into the world in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It’s a small city, but it meant a lot to him all his life.

Born under the Pisces sign, Barker grew up in a working-class West Virginia family during the late 1930s and 1940s.

He spent his early years in Martinsburg. That little West Virginia town set the stage for his growth as an athlete.

Barker’s childhood happened during the Great Depression and World War II. Those years shaped a lot of kids in America, and I’d guess he was no exception.

Even with tough times, baseball was still a favorite pastime in small towns like Martinsburg. People just loved the game, no matter what.

His nickname, “Buddy,” popped up when he was a kid. It stuck with him all the way through his baseball days.

Friends and teammates called him Ray or Buddy, especially since he hit left-handed. It’s funny how a nickname can become part of someone’s story.

High School Baseball Experience

Barker went to Martinsburg High School in his hometown. That’s where he first started showing off his baseball skills.

The school’s baseball program gave him his first shot at organized, competitive play outside of the usual youth leagues.

Back in high school, Barker grew into a left-handed batter and a right-handed thrower. That combo really stuck with him all the way through his pro career.

He started to shine at first base during those years. You could already see hints of his natural talent.

Professional scouts noticed his performance at Martinsburg High School. They liked his size, his skills, and honestly, his athleticism stood out.

All that time in high school baseball set the stage for what came next. Those early games got him ready for the grind of pro baseball in the 1950s.