Barry Foote

A 2022 interview with the former catcher

Teams:

• Montreal Expos, 1973–1977; Philadelphia Phillies, 1977–1978; Chicago Cubs, 1979–1981; New York Yankees, 1981–1982

Life and Career Prior to 1973

Barry Foote was born on February 16, 1952 in Smithfield, NC. The town of Smithfield is not far from the state capital of Raleigh. 

Foote grew up in Smithfield and played ball at the high school in town.

He was drafted out of high school in the first round (third overall) of the 1970 MLB draft by the Montreal Expos.

Drafted right behind Foote was another soon-to-be big league catcher - Darrell Porter, a future World Series MVP.

Foote spent parts of three seasons toiling in Montreal's farm system before making his major league debut on September 14, 1973.

Time as a Major League Catcher

His big league debut was a home game at Montreal's Parc Jarry against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Foote entered the game in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter and for his inaugural MLB at bat, faced none other than future Hall of Fame pitcher Steve Carlton (Barry popped out to center).

There were only a few games left in the 1973 season, and Foote finished the year 4 for 6.

The following season turned out to be one of the best of his career. In 1974, Foote batted .262 and collected a career high 110 hits with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs.

Foote's production dropped over the next few seasons, and in June of 1977 the Expos traded him to the Phillies.

He spent 18 games with the '77 Phils and played in just 39 games the following year.

During spring training of 1979, Philadelphia shipped Barry Foote and others to the Chicago Cubs in a multiplayer trade.

It was a fortunate trade for Foote, as he became the Cubs' primary catcher that year.

In 132 games in 1979, Foote hit .254 with 109 hits and a career high 16 home runs.

One of his home runs as a Cub can be seen in the video below (note: it's from a 1980 game). 

However, Foote didn't play quite as much in 1980, and by April of 1981 he was traded to the New York Yankees.

He joined a solid Yankees club that captured the 1981 AL pennant and went on to face the LA Dodgers in the World Series that year, losing 4 games to 2.

Foote served as a backup catcher to the Yankees' Rick Cerone and Butch Wynegar in 1982, appearing in just 17 games. After the season was over, Foote was released and his MLB playing career was over.

Career Highlights and Post-Playing Years

In 10 MLB seasons, Foote hit .230/.277/.368 with 489 hits, 57 home runs and 230 RBIs.

Behind the plate, he maintained a .985 fielding percentage and gunned down 208 runners attempting to steal, good for a 38% average - five percentage points higher than the league average over the same time period.

During his playing career, Foote had two games with two home runs, three games with four hits and one game with eight RBIs.

The pitcher he faced the most in his career was his one-time teammate Steve Carlton, and the pitcher he got the most career hits off of was another Hall of Famer - Phil Niekro.

After his playing career ended, Foote worked as a scout for the Yankees and then as a minor league manager. He made it back to the big leagues in the early 90s, working as a coach for the Chicago White Sox (1990 - 1991) and the New York Mets (1992 - 1993).

Q&A with Barry Foote

Barry Foote is a former catcher who caught over 5,000 innings in the major leagues. 

He has been a teammate with Hall of Famers like Gary Carter, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield and Mike Schmidt.

I reached out to Mr. Foote a few weeks back with some questions about his career. 

Not only did he answer my questions (which you can read below) but he also signed his 1983 Topps for me. 

Below are Barry Foote's responses to my questions…

I'm curious to know/learn more about your favorite memory from your playing career. Can you tell me about that?

Answer: The 1981 World Series Yankees vs Dodgers. 1980 2 HRs and 8 RBIs Cubs vs Cardinals.

As a catcher in the 1970s and 80s, what was the hardest thing about being a catcher during this time? What was the most enjoyable?

Answer: Catching HOF pitchers like Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage. Others such as Rick Rueschel and Steve Rogers.

Who was the best pitcher you ever had the opportunity to catch, and why?

Answer: See above.

Gossage - Great fastball and intimidating

Sutter - Split finger

Rogers - Best overall stuff

Rueschel - Best control

That's A Wrap!

I love learning about baseball history and it is a real treat when I hear from former big league catchers from the past. Men who played with some of the greatest in the game’s long history. 

These ballplayers often have a lot of wisdom to share and very interesting perspectives about their careers as well. 

Thanks for stopping by Catchers Home. We hope you found this article to be interesting, and if you have any feedback please contact us.