Minor leagues Barclay began his professional baseball career in 1896 with the
Chambersburg Maroons in the independent
Cumberland Valley League. He continued to play both football and
minor league baseball. In 1901, he batted .335 for the
Rochester Bronchos of the
Eastern League, earning him a look from the Cardinals.
St. Louis Cardinals Barclay was 25 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 17, 1902, with the St. Louis Cardinals. Two of the team's starting outfielders,
Jesse Burkett and
Emmet Heidrick, had jumped to the rival
St. Louis Browns of the new
American League, and Barclay, along with
Doc Smoot, were acquired to replace them, with Barclay becoming the everyday
left fielder. Both men hit over .300 that year, as did their manager and outfield mate
Patsy Donovan, but the Cardinals still fell from fourth to sixth. In 1903, although Smoot continued to play well, Barclay's production fell off, batting just .248. Still, he was brought back to be the team's starting left fielder in 1904. His performance continued to decline, and he was batting just .200 when he was sold to the Boston Beaneaters on September 11, 1904, having been replaced by rookie
Hugh Hill.
Beaneaters and return to the minors Barclay was moved to
right field by the Beaneaters, and his average bounced back a bit to .226 during his time with Boston. He started the 1905 season back in left field, but after batting just .176 in 29 games he was replaced by
Jim Delahanty and eventually released on May 22, 1905. Barclay returned to Rochester to finish the 1905 season, but he never regained his previous level of performance, as he batted .245 that year, then just .190 in 1906. After one more season with the class-B
Lynn Shoemakers of the
New England League, batting .207 in 43 games, Barclay left professional baseball. == First football helmet and career ==