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  • Austin Barnes, C

    Discuss.
    --------------------
    also has MLB pedigree
    --------------------
    2010 (Sophomore): Took over as starting catcher, seeing action in 48 games, starting 43 behind the plate...earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 honors...hit .272 (40-147) with a home run and 24 RBI...collected 12 doubles and 17 walks and stole five bases...registered a .985 fielding percentage in his first full season as a catcher after coming to ASU as a middle infielder.

    2009 (Freshman): Appeared in 20 games, making one start at designated hitter...made the most of his limited trips to the plate, totaling seven hits in 17 at-bats for a .412 average...saw time at catcher, DH and second base.

    High School: A 2008 graduate of Riverside (Calif.) Poly High School...earned four varsity letters in baseball and was a team captain in his senior season...a three-time all-county and two-time all-league honoree...named first-team All-CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) and all-state in 2007 as a junior...also named team and league MVP as a junior...hit .450 in his junior season, and then followed that up by hitting .478 as a senior...also helped his summer league team, Trombly Baseball, to the 2007 AABC Don Mattingly Championship, hitting .524 with three home runs in five games to win the Mattingly World Series batting title.

    Personal: Exploratory major at ASU...parents are Dennis and Stephanie Barnes of Riverside, Calif...has three siblings, Dylan, Savannah and Griffin...uncle is Mike Gallego, currently a coach for the Colorado Rockies and a former Major League infielder with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals...lists Will Ferrell as his favorite actor, "Old School" as his favorite movie and "Seinfeld" as his favorite TV show...is a Boston Red Sox fan...born Dec. 28, 1989 in Orange, Calif...full name is Austin Scott Barnes.
    http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/..._austin00.html
    Last edited by emkayseven; 06-07-2011, 02:25 PM. Reason: Doublepost Merged
    Originally posted by Madman81
    Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
    Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

  • #2
    Smallest catcher ever.

    Comment


    • #3
      ASU baseball coach Tim Esmay offered Austin Barnes a get-out-of-catcher-free card.

      "I called him in and said you came here as an infielder and had to catch last year because we didn't have anybody," Esmay said. "I'm giving you the option right now to go back out and play infield. He looked at me and goes nope, I'm into this catching thing."

      Barnes now is so secure behind the plate that he's tearing it up at the plate. The junior is second in Pac-10 hitting with a .436 average going into the start of conference play Friday night and leads in slugging percentage (.655) even without a home run.

      And he's adeptly handling a pitching staff that largely had to start over after losing its top three starters and the school's single-season saves leader from last season.

      Late last season, Barnes started to hit like he did at Riverside (Calif.) Poly High School, raising his final average to .272. This year, batting sixth or lower, Barnes already has a team-high 10 doubles (two fewer than all of last season) in 16 games.

      "I've always felt I could hit the ball," Barnes said. "My main job last year was being a catcher. I'm more comfortable catching now so that doesn't translate over to my hitting. I can use both parts of my game better."

      Barnes had never caught before 2009, when Andrew Pollak was injured and the Sun Devils needed a backup for Carlos Ramirez and to catch in the bullpen.

      Esmay planned to platoon Barnes and Xorge Carrillo, but because of a forearm injury Carrillo only played in 16 games (eight starts). So the burden fell on Barnes to steer a pitching staff for a team good enough to earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

      "The biggest thing he had to learn was his at-bats didn't matter," Esmay said. "Whether he was 4-of-4 or whatever he was, we needed him to go out and control the game and be that captain out there. What he did was 10 times tougher than what I tried to do," moving from catcher to second base during his ASU playing days.

      With Carrillo back for his senior season and playing at least once a week, Esmay has the catching rotation he previously envisioned, reducing the wear on both. Carrillo is hitting .316 in 11 games.

      "We have a great system going right now with two very fine catchers," said Esmay, making it easier to put the pitching puzzle together.

      Brady Rodgers, Jake Barrett and Kyle Ottoson appear to be lined up as weekend starters for No. 8 ASU going into the Pac-10 opening series against No. 16 Arizona, but that's not in stone. The bullpen lines up around Mitchell Lambson.

      "The thing that's good about Arizona State is we just reload and reload," Barnes said. "It's hard to lose pitchers like Seth Blair and Merrill Kelly, but guys want to be here and win because that's the tradition. It's a little transition period, but our new pitchers are more than capable."

      With a more than capable guy calling their pitches.

      "You're seeing a kid that's really grown and matured," Esmay said of Barnes. "Our conversations are short because he's already a step ahead and calling all the stuff we need from him. You can tell the catching part has really become second nature. That allows you to lock in and think about the offensive side of it."
      http://www.azcentral.com/sports/asu/...#ixzz1OcVExNRv
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      [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izDxDLytm_8[/ame]
      Last edited by emkayseven; 06-07-2011, 02:28 PM. Reason: Doublepost Merged
      Originally posted by Madman81
      Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
      Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

      Comment


      • #4
        http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/..._austin00.html

        Least we waited till the 9th to grab our C and not the smallest or worst C we have drafted(See Torre Langley)

        Comment


        • #5
          that's brett austin, not austin barnes
          Originally posted by Madman81
          Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
          Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

          Comment


          • #6
            Jameson Smith was the more egregious pick to me.
            Christian Yelich
            LF, Greensboro Grasshoppers
            12/5/1991 - 19 years old


            .299/.375/.461/.836
            100-334, 24 2B, 0 3B, 10 HR, 38 BB, 74 SO, 26 SB (4 CS)

            ------------------------------------

            Last 10 Games:
            .394/.512/.697/1.155

            Last Update: 7/27/2011

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by markotsay7 View Post
              that's brett austin, not austin barnes
              That link he put up is Austin Barnes.
              5'9", 174.

              Comment


              • #8
                I'm talking about what The Godfather posted
                Originally posted by Madman81
                Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
                Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Bucklin12 View Post
                  Jameson Smith was the more egregious pick to me.
                  Ya but we won't bring that up

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I wish we would take the catching position more seriously at an organizational level
                    God would be expecting a first pitch breaking ball in the dirt because humans love to disappoint him.
                    - Daft

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Brigham E. Pujols View Post
                      I wish we would take the catching position more seriously at an organizational level
                      They took prep catchers in the 1st in 2008 and in the 3rd last year. I think they try, just that they havent had alot of luck, although Realmuto shows some promise.
                      Amy Adams, AKA Cinnamon Muff
                      Logan Morrison: "If baseball didn't exist, I would probably be ... like a curler. Or a hairstylist."
                      Noah Perio
                      Jupiter
                      39 AB
                      15 H
                      0 2B
                      0 3B
                      0 HR
                      0 BB
                      .385/.385/.385

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        For those of you who do not know much about Barnes you are in for a treat. He has a very high BB IQ, ALL PAC TEN in only his second year at the position. He excels from the catching position becasue of his quickness, obvious scouting reports on him were do not run on him as there was less then 1 attempt per game. Will back door to first without any hesitation. His size is relatively small but again quick and smart and has stepped his game up at every level he goes to. I have watched him for a while as I am from Riverside he is a leader on the field and a very focused player. In going to a high school state title game at Angel stadium when he was a freshmen and starting 2nd basemen for Poly high what stuck me as I watched the game he was the only freshmen on the field but was clearly the most poised player out there he does not rattle...if he stays in his arch you all got yourself a player.


                        Played on travel ball teams and high school all star team with Kyle S....
                        Last edited by easygoer13; 06-09-2011, 11:36 PM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Awesome, thanks for the info. Do hope he's better than Skipworth though
                          Originally posted by Madman81
                          Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
                          Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Your welcome...I know from following him as a local kid for me....he is already rated as a plus plus defender....He threw out 4 guys last year in one super regional game and I saw a sat this year where for the season there were only I think it was like 36 stolen base attempts all year...he swung the bat very well....but again its his BB IQ that I believe is his biggest strength which is what you want from the catchers spot...I have not followed skip since he has moved on...I take it from your comment he is not progressing as you would hope....


                            To use the quote from Esmay from the story you posted:

                            ""You're seeing a kid that's really grown and matured," Esmay said of Barnes. "Our conversations are short because he's already a step ahead and calling all the stuff we need from him. You can tell the catching part has really become second nature. That allows you to lock in and think about the offensive side of it." "

                            I think you can see what I am speaking about in terms is his BB IQ...which again this from someone who has only played in the spot for basicaly 2 years...
                            Last edited by easygoer13; 06-10-2011, 10:17 AM.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              It's safe to say he isn't progressing at all

                              Glad to hear he has good baseball IQ and instincts...definitely good to have behind the plate
                              Originally posted by Madman81
                              Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
                              Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

                              Comment

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