Arnesta Joe Gaines is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 retired professional baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

 outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

. He spent all or parts of seven seasons (1960–1966) in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

, Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

 and Houston Colt .45s/Astros

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

. Gaines threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 inch tall and weighed 190 lb (86.2 kg).

After attending Oakland Technical High School

Oakland Technical High School

Oakland Technical High School, known locally as Oakland Tech, or just simply "Tech", is a public high school in Oakland, California, and is operated under the jurisdiction of the Oakland Unified School District.-Background:...

 in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, Gaines was signed by Cincinnati in . His best season in minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 came in , when he batted

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 .359 with 14 home runs and 119 runs batted in for the Visalia Redlegs of the Class C California League

California League

The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

. After receiving brief trails with the 1960

1960 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds finishing in sixth place in the National League standings, with a record of 67-87, 28 games behind the National League and World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates....

 and 1961

1961 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League pennant with a record of 93-61, four games over the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, but losing the World Series in five games to the New York Yankees. The Reds were managed by Fred...

 Reds, he made the team's 25-man roster in 1962

1962 Cincinnati Reds season

The Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. After winning the National League pennant a year earlier, the '62 Reds season consisted of the team finishing in third place in the NL standings, with a record of 98-64, 3½ games behind the NL Champion San Francisco Giants...

, batting .231 in 60 games played as a reserve outfielder, then was traded to Baltimore that December.

In 1963

1963 Baltimore Orioles season

The 1963 Baltimore Orioles season involved the Orioles finishing fourth in the American League with a record of 86 wins and 76 losses.- Offseason :* November 21, 1962: Jimmie Coker purchased by the Orioles from the Philadelphia Phillies....

, Gaines occasionally spelled left-handed-hitting Boog Powell

Boog Powell

John Wesley Powell is a former major league first baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles , Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 as the Orioles' left fielder

Left fielder

In baseball, a left fielder is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

 and batted an MLB career-high .286. But Gaines got off to a poor start in and Baltimore traded him to Houston on June 15. He took over as the Colt .45s' regular right fielder

Right fielder

A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

, playing 89 games and batting .254. But 1965

1965 Houston Astros season

The Houston Astros season was the franchise's first season in the Houston Astrodome, as well as its first season as the Astros after three seasons known as the Colt .45s. It involved the Houston Astros finishing in ninth place in the National League with a record of 65-97, 32 games behind the...

 saw Gaines lose his regular job to Rusty Staub

Rusty Staub

Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub is an American former Major League Baseball right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. He enjoyed a 23-year baseball career with 5 different teams...

 and he reverted to a backup role; although he appeared in 100 games, he batted only .227. Apart from a brief stint with 1966 Astros

1966 Houston Astros season

The Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth in the National League with a record of 72-90, 23 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.- Offseason :* November 29, 1965: 1965 rule 5 draft...

, when he garnered only one hit

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

 in 13 at bats, Gaines spent the final three seasons of his playing career in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League

Pacific Coast League

The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...

. He retired after the 1968 season.

Overall, Gaines hit .241 with 21 home runs and 95 RBI in 362 Major League games, and batted .298 with 76 homers in 949 minor-league appearances.