(FanDuel Insider)
RENO, Nev ---
It was in the town of Reno, Nevada where Clint Barmes made the decision it would be the last game he’d play. In front of a crowd of over 5,700 at Greater Nevada Field, Barmes walked into the dugout during the eighth inning to a sea of teammates sending him best wishes and congratulations.
“It was a bit of a cold night, and he (Manager Brian Poldberg) said he wanted to get the ‘kid’ to go in and finish the game out,” explained Barmes. “At that point my body was starting to stiffen up and tighten up a bit on me, which only made my decision easier.
“I went out and played defense and went in and had my last at-bat, it was cool to have all of the guys greet me once the word had spread.”
The middle infielder said it was last season when he realized it would only be a matter of time where he would have to make the decision to walk away from baseball.
“I was hoping to get an opportunity during the offseason and got the invite to come to the Royals Spring Training and received a minor-league deal, and I thought ‘why not’ I can still move around a little bit and I felt like I would give it a shot.”
After being released from the Royals, the team worked on a deal to bring the 37-year-old back on a minor-league contract. Barmes was an Article XX(B) free agent, meaning Kansas City would have had to offer him an active roster spot or pay him a $100K retention bonus by a certain point, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Instead, the team opted to release him and could then re-sign him to a new contract.
“Coming back I think I decided I would give Triple-A a little time to help make my decision easier for me as far as having no regrets when I do make that decision,” said Barmes. “At this point I can honestly say I can look back and know I don’t have any regrets.”
Barmes finishes his career with the Omaha Stormchasers, the Triple-A affiliate of the 2015 World Series Champions and says it was a great organization from the front office staff to the players.
“I have a lot of respect for the guys, they said nice things when I went into the dugout and have really made it fun up to this point,” explained Barmes, adding Royals GM Dayton Moore was everything that he expected him to be.
The 287th overall pick of the 2000 MLB Draft said he assumed he would have to have his jersey “ripped off of him” or have his body give out before he said goodbye to the sport.
“Whichever one came first,” he laughed.
“It would have been nice to finish it off in the big leagues and get back up there,” he added, “but I think in a lot of ways, in the way I play, more so at the plate, I wasn’t doing what I was wanting and expecting to do and that kind of helped make my decision as well.”
He gave advice to the rookies heading into the game.
“Control what you can control and respect the game, play the game the way it’s supposed to be played and good things will happen.”
Prior to his stint with the Royals organization, Barmes spent 13 seasons playing for the Rockies, Pirates, Padres and Astros. He finished with a career .245/.294/.379 triple slash line, accumulating 932 hits and 89 home runs in the process.
He will fly back to Omaha Sunday afternoon to reunite with his wife, pack up his things and drive to the small town of Mead, Colorado, about 30 minutes north of Denver where they call home. He looks forward to having the first summer he’s had in as long as he can remember.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here, but I think my body is telling me ‘it’s time.'”