Danny Barnes may have been an afterthought when the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him, but he’s now opening eyes thanks to a breakout minor-league season and an impressive MLB debut.
With much of a heavily-taxed Blue Jays bullpen resting, manager John Gibbons called on Barnes to protect a one-run lead Tuesday and the right-hander responded with a scoreless inning that included strikeouts of Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa to preserve Toronto’s lead and set up a 2-1 win.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest addition to the Blue Jays’ bullpen…
Name: Danny Barnes
Position: Relief pitcher
Throws: Right
Age: 26
Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 195 lbs.
Contract status: options remaining
Late-round pick
Barnes was anything but a top prospect when the Blue Jays selected him out of Princeton in the 35th round of the 2010 draft. He turned pro immediately, but completed his degree, which included a thesis about MLB free agency.
By the way, that 2010 draft looks even better six years later. Aaron Sanchez, Noah Syndergaard, Sam Dyson and even Kris Bryant were also Blue Jays picks in 2010, when the Blue Jays re-stocked the system in a big way.
Upper-minors success
Barnes opened the 2016 season by posting a 1.01 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 35.2 innings at double-A. With numbers like that, it’s no surprise that he got promoted. What is surprising is that he pitched even better after advancing to triple-A. In 17.2 innings at Buffalo, he posted a 0.51 ERA with 21 strikeouts.
All told, the 26-year-old had a 0.84 ERA with 61 strikeouts against five walks before the Blue Jays called on him.
New-look bullpen
The Blue Jays now have eight relievers in their bullpen, and just three of them opened the season with Toronto: closer Roberto Osuna, left-hander Brett Cecil and Rule 5 pick Joe Biagini. The others (Barnes, Jason Grilli, Joaquin Benoit, Mike Bolsinger and Scott Feldman) were all midseason additions.
Options game
Barnes has options remaining, which means the Blue Jays will have to consider sending him to the minor leagues if they need to create roster space in the upcoming weeks. As long as he’s up at the big-league level, he has the chance to impress upon Blue Jays decision makers that he can help them later on this season.
