Don't Stop Believin': The Clint Barmes Story

Coming off another disappointing season in 2011, the Pittsburgh Pirates hoped to quickly rebound and compete once again for a playoff spot and the National League Central title. The rebuild, to that point, had secured many notable prospects, such as Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell and international free agent Starling Marte. Lacking among these players was a true franchise shortstop.

The previous year had seen Ronny Cedeño, acquired in the Jack Wilson deal with Seattle, take the majority of reps, with up-and-comer Chase d’Arnaud splitting time between short and third. Neither of them played well enough to secure the starting job for 2012. The Pirates were active that offseason, acquiring competent veterans and retaining many of the players they valued.

Looking back, the biggest move they pulled off was trading for A.J. Burnett from the Yankees in February, in exchange for minor-league prospects. They had also reunited with a familiar face in Nate McLouth, and signed Rod Barajas, who was coming off a fine year with the Dodgers, to fill in for Ryan Doumit behind the dish after his eventual departure in free agency. Their Opening Day starter, Érik Bédard, who’s best years were with the Orioles, signed for $4.5 million. Then, there was Clint Barmes.

Barmes, once a top prospect in the Rockies system, signed with Pittsburgh for two years and $10.5 million. He was expected to take over at shortstop after Cedeño had signed with the Mets that winter. Chase d’Arnaud was still there, but would spend the majority of the year in Triple-A after his lackluster showing. Brock Holt and Jordy Mercer were waiting in the wings, eventually earning promotions to Indianapolis, then Pittsburgh. Still, Barmes was the starting shortstop for 2012, a season that brought false hope to Pirates fans. Towards the end of August, they were more than 10 games over .500, and looking to break the historic record of consecutive losing seasons that dated back to 1993. The ensuing collapse was spectacular, for lack of a better word, and they finished with a record of 79-83.

Led by the youth movement of Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Álvarez and Neil Walker, the future was bright in the Steel City. That year, Barmes was capable yet underwhelming. He always provided strong defense. His hitting left a lot to be desired, to say the least. He was arguably coming off his best overall season with the Astros in 2011, good for 3.4 WAR. In 2009, serving as the Rockies' primary second baseman, he hit a career high 23 home runs. Naturally, he was replaced at short going into 2007 after the emergence of rookie phenom Troy Tulowitzki. In fact, Barmes spent most of that season in Triple-A, a year that saw Colorado win the National League pennant before getting swept by the Red Sox in a relatively uneventful Fall Classic. To give Barmes credit, his career featured several noteworthy moments nonetheless.

How Pirates' Clint Barmes fit into Pittsburgh's early 2010s emergence

2005 was Barmes' first full year in the majors. On Opening Day, in a matchup against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field, he hit a two-run walk-off home run off future Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman to complete a dramatic come-from-behind victory. He was later named the NL Rookie of the Month for April, hitting over .400 during this span.

Most baseball fans probably know him for the infamous deer meat incident that summer, which really happened. The meat was a gift from teammate Todd Helton, and Barmes broke his collarbone while climbing up the stairs to his apartment and taking a tumble. He remained on the injured list until September. He was never the same after that. While you might think this is a joke, it’s entirely possible his career would have gone very differently if not for this bizarre injury. Tulowitzki was drafted seventh overall by the Rockies that year, so perhaps not. Like many great what ifs, we’ll never really know.

My favorite memory of Clint Barmes was when he hit his first career grand slam on Aug. 12, 2012 off former Pirate Ross Ohlendorf, then a San Diego Padre. I watched this live, as Tim Neverett called out “Barmes belts one” before the ball hit the left field foul pole to clear the bases. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. I don’t know why, but Barmes was one of my favorite Pirates when he was with the team. There was just something about him as an underdog that I liked. You might remember that his walk-up music was “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. It suited him well. Jordy Mercer proved to be the better option the following season, and Barmes would remain on as his backup through 2014. The Pirates did the improbable in ‘13, but we all know the story by now. ‘14 and ‘15 were great, too. We haven’t had as much fun as Pirates fans since then.

Barmes signed with San Diego for the 2015 season, where he saw regular playing time back at his natural position of shortstop. He was a non-roster invitee to Royals camp next spring, and briefly played for their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha before announcing his retirement on May 23, 2016. Whatever your feelings about Clint Barmes are (I’m sure, for many Pirates fans, they are negative), you have to respect his game. He played across 13 seasons, putting up a respectable 14.9 WAR. Not many can say they stuck around that long and provided as much value. Barmes grew up in Vincennes, Indiana, and played his college ball at Olney Central College in Illinois and Indiana State. After transferring, he led the Sycamores in most offensive categories for the 2000 season, and was drafted in the 10th round by the Rockies. He later became a member of Indiana State’s Hall of Fame in 2020.

Since retirement, he has been a coach at Berthoud High School and with the Northside Dirt Devils club in Colorado. Barmes and his former skipper Clint Hurdle were selected as the managers of the 2021 High School All-American game at Coors Field during that year’s All-Star week in Denver. The American team, coached by Barmes, came out on top, winning 8-3. Top Pirates prospect Termarr Johnson played for the National team under Hurdle, before he was drafted by Pittsburgh just over a year later. North Allegheny’s Cole Young, now in the Mariners organization, was a member of the American team.

Given his career and experience, I could see Barmes becoming a coach and potentially a manager in the majors someday. We all have our favorite players, most of them being stars. Other times, they’re more obscure players that make a name for themselves and quickly become fan favorites. All of us have our own, and for me, it’s Clint Barmes.