Barnes introduced to the pro side, and business side, of baseball
For a month, Matt Barnes was living the dream.
He moved from The College of Wooster baseball team to the Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League, never skipping a beat as he moved from college player to professional player. Not that he was being paid well, but he was being paid, and he was also returning to his hometown of Pittsburgh to play with the Wild Things.
That was, perhaps, the easy part. The hard part was experiencing what hundreds of thousands of players have gone through and what Barnes was introduced to this past Sunday when the Wild Things opted to move in a different direction and released him, June 19.
“You know what, it definitely is a business,” said the hard-throwing Barnes, who finished up his Scot career as the school’s all-time strikeout leader. “I never really thought about the business aspect of it before, but it’s a revolving door for players. You meet guys and then they are gone.
“I was with the Wild Things for 26 games and was released yesterday (June 19). I’m still looking (to play); I have some potential leads and hopefully I’m going to get back on a roster.”
Barnes was one of the main lynch pins for the Scots throughout his career. He broke in as the North Coast Athletic Conference’s top newcomer as he went 9-2 as a freshman. He lost what would have been his junior campaign as he developed blood clots after pitching in the season opener for the Division III national runner-up Scots, but returned to go 6-2 in 2010 and then 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA this past season for the 22-17 Scots.
He struck out 72 batters in 58.2 innings of work, which moved him past Russ Crawford to the top of Wooster’s all-time strikeout chart with 276 in 250.1 innings of work. Primarily a starter, he finished with a lifetime record of 24-10 but added three saves this season as well.
Barnes got his opportunity with the Wild Things thanks to an opposing coach that Barnes pitched against previously.
“A local coach actually gave me a call from an opposing team I had played against a couple summers ago,” said Barnes. “He remembered me and he liked my approach to the game, and he contacted coach (Tim Pettorini). Washington gave me a call and asked if I was free for a workout on the same day I graduated from Wooster (May 16). I took off my cap and gown and dressed in my baseball gear. I worked out, they liked me and offered me a contract on the spot. It was a pretty exciting day.”
As Barnes found out, though, excitement and security are two different things.
“I guess I would say I don’t even know how to explain (my time)” with Washington, said Barnes.
“I had a good time and I enjoyed myself,” he said. “In just a few weeks I learned a lot. I’m 23 and have been playing baseball over 10 years and I thought I knew how to get guys out and be successful, but I found out there was still a lot to be learned. That was the biggest thing I took out of this. Whenever you get an opportunity, take advantage of it, which I didn’t do.”
Washington “immediately asked me if I’d rather start or relieve,” he said. “I had thrown some in relief for Wooster, and being a rookie, they decided to start me out in the bullpen. I pitched in six games, three of which were blowouts and three in extra innings. I pitched 17 innings total and nine of those were in extra innings, which was exciting. It was like I was the designated extra-inning guy. I had six shutout innings in relief, but that was my downfall. Last week, I pitched 2.2 innings and took the loss when I gave up a run, and then I also pitched one inning three nights ago and gave up two runs. That’s what bit me in the butt.”
That performance gave Barnes an uneasy feeling.
“Actually, I had an inkling (I was in trouble),” he said. “It sucks, but I did. I pitched decent in the 2.2 game and took a loss, and my next appearance was a similar situation, an extra inning game. I gave up two runs and took the loss, and after that, I started to think I’m not pulling my weight. Coming off the field, I thought I could be in trouble and sure enough, I was.
“I didn’t pitch as bad as some, but at some time at the quarter-point of the season, maybe I didn’t meet their expectations.”
Washington was 11-16 at the time of Barnes’ release, but he was hoping that other teams saw enough in him to give him a shot on their roster. While he had allowed 17 hits in his 17 innings of work, he had also struck out 19 batters.
“The ideal situation would be to get picked up by another Frontier League team,” said Barnes. “Your name goes on a board and hopefully some manager who saw me pitch sees that. I have a number of leads – I don’t want to go out and get a real job yet.”
However, Barnes is also a realist and knows that he just may have to put his degree in communications, with a minor in sociology, into gear shortly.
“I’d like to be involved in sales or be a sales rep on the road, similar to what I’m doing now, meeting people on a daily basis,” said Barnes. “We’ll see what happens. I think something might, so I’m not too worried yet.”
He moved from The College of Wooster baseball team to the Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League, never skipping a beat as he moved from college player to professional player. Not that he was being paid well, but he was being paid, and he was also returning to his hometown of Pittsburgh to play with the Wild Things.
That was, perhaps, the easy part. The hard part was experiencing what hundreds of thousands of players have gone through and what Barnes was introduced to this past Sunday when the Wild Things opted to move in a different direction and released him, June 19.
“You know what, it definitely is a business,” said the hard-throwing Barnes, who finished up his Scot career as the school’s all-time strikeout leader. “I never really thought about the business aspect of it before, but it’s a revolving door for players. You meet guys and then they are gone.
“I was with the Wild Things for 26 games and was released yesterday (June 19). I’m still looking (to play); I have some potential leads and hopefully I’m going to get back on a roster.”
Barnes was one of the main lynch pins for the Scots throughout his career. He broke in as the North Coast Athletic Conference’s top newcomer as he went 9-2 as a freshman. He lost what would have been his junior campaign as he developed blood clots after pitching in the season opener for the Division III national runner-up Scots, but returned to go 6-2 in 2010 and then 4-3 with a 2.76 ERA this past season for the 22-17 Scots.
He struck out 72 batters in 58.2 innings of work, which moved him past Russ Crawford to the top of Wooster’s all-time strikeout chart with 276 in 250.1 innings of work. Primarily a starter, he finished with a lifetime record of 24-10 but added three saves this season as well.
Barnes got his opportunity with the Wild Things thanks to an opposing coach that Barnes pitched against previously.
“A local coach actually gave me a call from an opposing team I had played against a couple summers ago,” said Barnes. “He remembered me and he liked my approach to the game, and he contacted coach (Tim Pettorini). Washington gave me a call and asked if I was free for a workout on the same day I graduated from Wooster (May 16). I took off my cap and gown and dressed in my baseball gear. I worked out, they liked me and offered me a contract on the spot. It was a pretty exciting day.”
As Barnes found out, though, excitement and security are two different things.
“I guess I would say I don’t even know how to explain (my time)” with Washington, said Barnes.
“I had a good time and I enjoyed myself,” he said. “In just a few weeks I learned a lot. I’m 23 and have been playing baseball over 10 years and I thought I knew how to get guys out and be successful, but I found out there was still a lot to be learned. That was the biggest thing I took out of this. Whenever you get an opportunity, take advantage of it, which I didn’t do.”
Washington “immediately asked me if I’d rather start or relieve,” he said. “I had thrown some in relief for Wooster, and being a rookie, they decided to start me out in the bullpen. I pitched in six games, three of which were blowouts and three in extra innings. I pitched 17 innings total and nine of those were in extra innings, which was exciting. It was like I was the designated extra-inning guy. I had six shutout innings in relief, but that was my downfall. Last week, I pitched 2.2 innings and took the loss when I gave up a run, and then I also pitched one inning three nights ago and gave up two runs. That’s what bit me in the butt.”
That performance gave Barnes an uneasy feeling.
“Actually, I had an inkling (I was in trouble),” he said. “It sucks, but I did. I pitched decent in the 2.2 game and took a loss, and my next appearance was a similar situation, an extra inning game. I gave up two runs and took the loss, and after that, I started to think I’m not pulling my weight. Coming off the field, I thought I could be in trouble and sure enough, I was.
“I didn’t pitch as bad as some, but at some time at the quarter-point of the season, maybe I didn’t meet their expectations.”
Washington was 11-16 at the time of Barnes’ release, but he was hoping that other teams saw enough in him to give him a shot on their roster. While he had allowed 17 hits in his 17 innings of work, he had also struck out 19 batters.
“The ideal situation would be to get picked up by another Frontier League team,” said Barnes. “Your name goes on a board and hopefully some manager who saw me pitch sees that. I have a number of leads – I don’t want to go out and get a real job yet.”
However, Barnes is also a realist and knows that he just may have to put his degree in communications, with a minor in sociology, into gear shortly.
“I’d like to be involved in sales or be a sales rep on the road, similar to what I’m doing now, meeting people on a daily basis,” said Barnes. “We’ll see what happens. I think something might, so I’m not too worried yet.”
Published: June 21, 2011
