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Oakland A’s history: Remembering Daric Barton

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CA - MAY 07: James Jones #99 of the Seattle Mariners gets an infield hit, beating the throw to Daric Barton #10 of the Oakland Athletics in the top of the third inning during game one of a doubleheader at O.co Coliseum on May 7, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MAY 07: James Jones #99 of the Seattle Mariners gets an infield hit, beating the throw to Daric Barton #10 of the Oakland Athletics in the top of the third inning during game one of a doubleheader at O.co Coliseum on May 7, 2014 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Daric Barton was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball, but injuries ruined what could have been a solid career for the Oakland A’s.

After the Carlos Pena Experiment flamed out within six months for the Oakland A’s, it did not take long for the franchise to have another top 100 prospect at first base. Daric Barton had become the latest prospect du jour, a first baseman/catcher with a strong batting eye and plenty of power potential based on his high school career.

After Barton hit ten homers in 78 at bats in his senior year of high school, the Cardinals selected him with the 28th overall selection in the 2003 MLB Draft. Just a year and a half later, on December 18, 2004, Barton was sent to the A’s, along with Dan Haren and Kiko Calero, for Mark Mulder, a move that was considered devastating to the team’s future.

However, Barton was a top prospect, expected to be a cornerstone for the franchise. From 2005 through 2008, he was ranked as one of the top 100 prospects by Baseball America, peaking at 28th in their rankings in 2006. His debut in 2007, when he posted a .347/.429/.639 batting line, hitting four homers and nine doubles in 84 plate appearances.

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That performance was enough for the A’s to give Barton the first base job heading into 2008. Unfortunately, he struggled mightily, posting a .226/.327/.348 batting line. He still displayed strong plate discipline and contact skills, with 65 walks and just 99 strikeouts in 523 plate appearances, but his power never manifested. He hit just nine homers and 17 doubles, not the type of power numbers anyone was hoping for.

After spending the following year bouncing between the minors and the A’s, everything looked like it was starting to come together in 2010. Barton posted a career best .273/.393/.405 batting line, hitting ten homers and 33 doubles over 686 plate appearances. He led the league with 110 walks and struck out only 102 times. Barton may never be a slugger at first, but he appeared as though he could be an inexpensive facsimile of Mark Grace.

That would prove to be the high point of his career. Barton then struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness over the next four years, appearing in a total of 180 major league games. After his 30 games in 2014 as a 28 year old, he would never return to the majors. He spent 2015 in the Blue Jays organization, but injuries limited him to just 31 games.

He eventually found a place in Mexico. Barton spent three respectable seasons playing south of the border, helping to lead to the Pericos de Puebla to their first Mexican League title in 30 years. After the 2018-19 Mexican Pacific League season, Barton retired at just 32 years old.

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Daric Barton was supposed to be a part of the future for the Oakland A’s. For one glorious year, he appeared ready to live up to that promise, but injuries derailed what was a promising young career.