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Barnes hopes to finish strong his final days in the AFL (Photo: Tony Lastoria) |
Barnes, 23, has made five starts for his Peoria Javelinas team going 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA. The numbers are a little deceiving as he was a victim of some bad luck in his first outing on October 12th where a ball lost in the sun led to a big inning, but in 18.2 innings he has allowed 19 hits, 4 walks, and has 21 strikeouts. He ranks 2nd in the AFL in innings pitched and 1st in strikeouts.
"I feel pretty good,” Barnes said in a recent interview. “The year hasn't lived up to what I hoped for, but I am still making strides and becoming a better pitcher.”
Barnes pitched the entire 2010 season at Double-A Akron making 26 starts and going 6-11 with a 5.22 ERA. In 138.0 innings he allowed 126 hits, 58 walks and had 127 strikeouts.
It was a disappointing season overall for Barnes as he expected so much more, though he did continue to improve as the season wore on. He really struggled in April (4 starts, 8.80 ERA) and May (5 starts, 6.56 ERA), but from June 1st until the end of the season he made 17 starts and had a solid 4.35 ERA.
Barnes’ improvement over the second half of the season was a result of him settling back into his old form, but also from a few changes that he and Double-A Akron pitching coach Greg Hibbard made with his repertoire and mental approach.
"[I was] just approaching games differently with showing less emotion and trying to stay on that even keel and becoming a better pitcher that way,” Barnes said. “Don't get me wrong as I want to win every game I pitch, but it’s tough to accept failure. I am working on it as I am always going to be competitive and always want to win, but just harnessing that and turning that into a positive outcome will be good."
Barnes has always been known as a very intense, emotional pitcher, which can be helpful at times but often will work against him when things are not going well. He knows it is something he has to tackle and get more under control to become a more consistent pitcher.
"It isn't that easy and there is really no definitive answer for it,” Barnes said. “It is just not showing any negative emotion. Just trying to make every pitch you can, and if something doesn't go your way you just have to shake it because you gotta be focused for the next one. You have to make good pitches pitch after pitch and put together good innings, and the outcome will help itself out. It’s really about just trying to channel everything in a positive way. Once you start getting negative that's when you start failing."
From a stuff standpoint, everything is still there for Barnes. His fastball regularly clocks in around 89-92 MPH, and he complements it with a plus changeup and developing curveball. One thing that changed though is he and Hibbard worked on a change to his repertoire by shelving his curveball in favor of a slider, and the initial results with the new pitch have been good to date.
"We did do a few changes as I am not throwing a curveball anymore as Hibby thought a slider would complement my fastball better,” Barnes said. “So I am just throwing a slider now. I am not changing everything as I am still the same pitcher, but it was just that little change. I wouldn’t say my slider is where I want it right now so that is what I am working on between starts to make that a better pitch. But everything else feels really good, and it is just another year and I am trying to improve every time I go out there."
The breaking ball change from a curveball to slider was a midseason change, and one that Hibbard felt would allow him to better attack left-handed hitters.
"I was just not getting lefties out as well as I thought I could,” Barnes said. “They were putting some pretty good swings on the curveball, so we both kind of approached each other as it was on both of our minds. We made the change. It is not a drastic change. It is just something that is more deceptive and going to be a little later and keep the lefties off balance and hopefully put poorer swings on it."
The addition of the slider doesn’t mean Barnes’ curveball is going away as he will always keep that in his back pocket and can use it as a fourth pitch.
"I can definitely throw it and still have it,” Barnes said about the curveball. “But it is just more of me developing a third pitch as being a starter I need to have three pitches that I can go to. Whether it is 0-0 or 3-2 to be able to throw it for a strike where I want. The slider is just something that is not there yet and [is a work in progress].”
The AFL is not a league where players will often test out any changes in their game, but instead is more about showcasing a player’s abilities against some of the top young players in the game. With that in mind, Barnes just wants to continue to finish the 2010 season strong in his final start or two in the AFL.
"I just want to finish with a good mindset and take away at least one thing from every start,” Barnes said. “I want to attack hitters and look back and say I did this well or that well. Just do what I love doing, pitching."
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