 Andrew Bernard " Barney " Gilligan ( January 3 , 1856 – April 1 , 1934 ) was a professional baseball player whose career spanned 12 seasons , 11 of which were spent with the Major League Baseball ( MLB ) Cleveland Blues ( 1879 – 1880 ) , Providence Grays ( 1881 – 1885 ) , Washington Nationals ( 1886 – 1887 ) , and Detroit Wolverines ( 1888 ) . Gilligan , who predominately played as a catcher , also played as an outfielder and a shortstop . Over his career , Gilligan compiled a career batting average of .207 with 217 runs scored , 388 hits , 68 doubles , 23 triples , three home runs , and 167 runs batted in ( RBI ) in 523 games played . Although the majority of his career was spent in the major leagues , Gilligan also played in minor league baseball . He made his MLB debut at the age of 19 and was listed as standing 5 feet 6 inches ( 168 cm ) and weighing 130 pounds ( 59 kg ) . 
