TORONTO – There’s a common perception about relievers in baseball that makes them out to be these easily replaceable chips, one being the same as all the others. Although in certain circumstances this does hold true, it often gets taken to the extreme; people believe any pitcher in professional baseball can luck their way into a solid relief season or two. This was the way I looked at Danny Barnes until a few weeks ago when, eventually, his stuff and results convinced me that he was here to stay.
Barnes has had nothing but success in his brief big league career, with a career ERA of 3.00 in 33 innings pitched. He has done this by using a combination of three pitches – a four-seam fastball, a changeup, and a slider – to keep hitters off balance. Although some websites like BrooksBaseball have tracked Barnes’ slider and report its usage as being down this season, Barnes said that’s actually an error and that he is throwing them as often as he did last year. However, it’s not the slider that has been the difference maker for Barnes. It’s his changeup. And although Barnes believes the significant velocity difference between that pitch and his fastball contributes to his success, he attributes most of it to the break on the pitch:
“Any pitch that has downward movement is a good pitch. That’s probably the biggest thing. Anything that’s moving down, where it’s going to be very hard to lift or get under, you’ll probably get a weak ground ball. That’s always the best type of movement.”
Although I can’t tell you how much vertical movement the pitch has because of the classification mix ups, I can show you the pitch and you can see for yourself what Barnes was describing.
For Barnes, executing his pitches isn’t everything. In fact, Barnes think confidence is “90% of the battle” and that getting used to the environment of the big leagues is a major factor in his success:
“Comfort level, [and] being able to repeat what you do, and not change what you do, from the minors to here. It sounds so simple, but it’s definitely easier said than done. When you come to the big leagues, everything is so different… You’re under a bigger microscope, and it could be a little overwhelming at times… If you get an opportunity just to be around it a little more, you get used to it.”
That took a little bit longer for Barnes than most players because he was shuffled between Buffalo and Toronto a lot to start his career. Asked whether that took a mental toll on him, he said it “wasn’t that bad”, and that it didn’t impact him much because he didn’t worry about it:
“It’s your job to not let it affect you. I mean, for a guy in my situation, you just take it one day at a time. Enjoy everyday here, and hopefully it works out.”
While that is true, his current hold on a roster spot has given him more confidence and with it the ability to relax on the mound:
“A lot of times guys will come up here and think you have to be perfect. [Thinking that] you can’t get as much of the zone as you have in the minors, because the hitters are better. But it’s not the same thing. Once again, it’s easier said than done, to do that. Confidence will… allow you to get in the zone more, and do what you did to [have] success in the minors, and apply it here.”
He is getting in the zone more, striking out an excellent 27.3 percent of the batters he has faced this season. As a result, he has slowly been getting into higher leverage situations and out of the middle relief roles he was given earlier in his career, taking the place of some Blue Jays veterans. Among the other Blue Jays relievers to do the same are Ryan Tepera and Aaron Loup, two guys who weren’t expected to contribute much to the Blue Jays squad this season yet have been key members of an overworked Blue Jays bullpen. Interestingly, Barnes actually credits their collective successes to the struggling veterans and their leadership abilities:
“You got guys like Grilli and Howell. They didn’t get off to the hot start like they wanted, but they’re such good guys, just having them around there, and in the clubhouse and stuff, it’s tremendous. I don’t think any of us would be having the success we’ve had without them.”
That’s an interesting point to keep in mind as the Blue Jays face a roster crunch with their starters returning to health this week. Grilli and Howell may have struggled in the early going, but players can provide value off of the field as well; Barnes clearly believes they have helped him to this point.
So how does Barnes plan on continuing what he has started this season? He said it’s just going to be sticking with the same mindset he always takes to the mound with him, no matter the situation:
“For me, it’s get every batter out that you’re given. If you come in to close the game, or down 10, it’s just as important. Just get an out.”
I think he understands his job pretty well.
Lead Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports