Austin Barnes can use this experience to propel himself into a coaching spot...a position that helps development of young talent...It will be invaluable to the game of baseball generally.
Really digging there aren’t we? If this guy is transitioning into coaching then I can see the value but didn’t the coach(‘s) responsible for Alvarez’s ascension back to the bigs with his better metrics get promoted to the big league club? Also, if he doesn’t make the big club can’t he opt out and become a FA? Just asking because why he wants to toil in AAA unless he’s moving into coaching makes little sense to me.
Gotta dig for gold to find it in the first place! 😉
I totally get your sentiment. But if I perceive some potential value somewhere, I like to examine it for whatever it may be, because you truly never know what any given season is going to bring. I do think a transition to coaching is realistic for him at this stage in his career, but even if he ends up only providing a month of tutelage for the young arms, I think he’s still one of the best possible vets for them to spend time with and glean info from
Totally agree, and that chemistry is vital. Where I see Barnes’ experience really showing its worth is in the expertise he’s bringing on the game management side, and I think all of Alvy, Torrens and the group of youngsters can benefit from having some recent championship experience in their collective ear. Defensively, Barnes is a far better ball blocker than Alvy or Torrens, so maybe some teaching happens there, and while Alvy has generally always posted solid framing results, Barnes is historically better at it than Torrens, so my thinking is that anything he can do to help them raise their respective floors should also in turn help the arms throwing to them
Everyone needs a mentor in the workplace, and in life. Sports is no different. Having a mentor that does the same job and experience has more value than hearing it from your boss.
No doubt. Look at Vientos and JD Martinez. Mark was JD’s puppy dog and see how much a difference it made. I don’t think Barnes hangs around in the minors though.
Let me pick away at your argument, or one part of it, that he's here to provide "intel", meaning inside information that only veteran players and staff of the Dodgers are privy to. If you want to say he'll provide teaching, instruction, wisdom, a model of diligence, that's all fine and good, no argument here. But "intel"? As in which Chinese diplomats are diplomats and which are spies? "Barnes will be able to provide both players and instructors with a wealth of invaluable information on how the Los Angeles Death Star’s development system works." Can you give an example, even hypothetical, of such information that will come as a revelation to the Mets own development staff people? Will the phrase, "Aha! So that's how the Dodgers do it!" be ringing in the halls of Metsdom? Taking it a step further, are Alonso and Nimmo, while not catchers, also bringing valuable inside information about the Mets to their new clubs?
I don’t think it’s about his input being revelatory as much as it’s about having the eyes, ears, and glove of a well-regarded veteran who spent all of his time in the bigs with an organization that’s currently the envy of the sport. His input will probably be mostly for the rookies, sure, but I’m sure even the most seasoned development professionals will be picking his brain for any ways they can develop or streamline their own systems. “Never stop learning”, etc.
To the Alonso/Nimmo point, sure they’re probably going to have some knowledge they can impart to some degree. But the biggest difference there (other than positional) is that both of those guys are now in the AL, whereas Barnes is coming from an NL rival. Whatever advantage(s) Alonso or Nimmo could give their new team, there will be far fewer of those matchup opportunities than there will be with LA this year.
He's our Crash Davis. The question is, who is our Nuke LaLoosh?
Great article, Drew! Totally agree that signing Barnes will pay dividends throughout the system.
And it's almost a given that Alvarez and/or Torrens will get hurt, so Barnes and Senger should be enough support.
Austin Barnes can use this experience to propel himself into a coaching spot...a position that helps development of young talent...It will be invaluable to the game of baseball generally.
Really digging there aren’t we? If this guy is transitioning into coaching then I can see the value but didn’t the coach(‘s) responsible for Alvarez’s ascension back to the bigs with his better metrics get promoted to the big league club? Also, if he doesn’t make the big club can’t he opt out and become a FA? Just asking because why he wants to toil in AAA unless he’s moving into coaching makes little sense to me.
Gotta dig for gold to find it in the first place! 😉
I totally get your sentiment. But if I perceive some potential value somewhere, I like to examine it for whatever it may be, because you truly never know what any given season is going to bring. I do think a transition to coaching is realistic for him at this stage in his career, but even if he ends up only providing a month of tutelage for the young arms, I think he’s still one of the best possible vets for them to spend time with and glean info from
I didn’t think of that. Just want them comfortable with Alvy and Torrens.
Totally agree, and that chemistry is vital. Where I see Barnes’ experience really showing its worth is in the expertise he’s bringing on the game management side, and I think all of Alvy, Torrens and the group of youngsters can benefit from having some recent championship experience in their collective ear. Defensively, Barnes is a far better ball blocker than Alvy or Torrens, so maybe some teaching happens there, and while Alvy has generally always posted solid framing results, Barnes is historically better at it than Torrens, so my thinking is that anything he can do to help them raise their respective floors should also in turn help the arms throwing to them
Everyone needs a mentor in the workplace, and in life. Sports is no different. Having a mentor that does the same job and experience has more value than hearing it from your boss.
No doubt. Look at Vientos and JD Martinez. Mark was JD’s puppy dog and see how much a difference it made. I don’t think Barnes hangs around in the minors though.
Agreed
Let me pick away at your argument, or one part of it, that he's here to provide "intel", meaning inside information that only veteran players and staff of the Dodgers are privy to. If you want to say he'll provide teaching, instruction, wisdom, a model of diligence, that's all fine and good, no argument here. But "intel"? As in which Chinese diplomats are diplomats and which are spies? "Barnes will be able to provide both players and instructors with a wealth of invaluable information on how the Los Angeles Death Star’s development system works." Can you give an example, even hypothetical, of such information that will come as a revelation to the Mets own development staff people? Will the phrase, "Aha! So that's how the Dodgers do it!" be ringing in the halls of Metsdom? Taking it a step further, are Alonso and Nimmo, while not catchers, also bringing valuable inside information about the Mets to their new clubs?
I don’t think it’s about his input being revelatory as much as it’s about having the eyes, ears, and glove of a well-regarded veteran who spent all of his time in the bigs with an organization that’s currently the envy of the sport. His input will probably be mostly for the rookies, sure, but I’m sure even the most seasoned development professionals will be picking his brain for any ways they can develop or streamline their own systems. “Never stop learning”, etc.
To the Alonso/Nimmo point, sure they’re probably going to have some knowledge they can impart to some degree. But the biggest difference there (other than positional) is that both of those guys are now in the AL, whereas Barnes is coming from an NL rival. Whatever advantage(s) Alonso or Nimmo could give their new team, there will be far fewer of those matchup opportunities than there will be with LA this year.