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Ben Barrone admits the bad news didn’t outweigh the good last month when the Oakland Athletics organization cut him as a player from their minor league camp, then offered him a job off the field.
Barrone, a former La Crosse Loggers and Winona State University standout catcher, was hoping his pro career would last a little longer. The A’s didn’t see it that way, although Barrone believes he could still play somewhere, someday.
For now, Barrone, 23, is working with the A’s Class AA affiliate in Midland, Texas as a bullpen catcher/assistant coach. Although he signed a standard player contract, the A’s kept him to help out on the coaching end.
“Actually, it kind of hurt right away,” Barrone said by telephone from Little Rock, Ark., site of Midland’s season opener. “I’m thinking, ‘OK, I know I can still play.’ I sat down and thought about it a little bit, talked to my parents and we tried to figure out the best way, which was to take the job and stay in the organization.”
Barrone was drafted by the A’s in the 44th round in 2007, following his senior year at WSU, when he was named NCAA Division II Player of the Year. Last summer with the Arizona Athletics (Rookie), he batted .244 with three homers and 18 RBI in 25 games.
“It was a good learning experience, just to see the difference between college ball and pro ball,” said Barrone, who was a 2006 All-Star for the Loggers and led the team in homers and RBI that season. “I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but it was really amazing, how much fun you had.”
Barrone was invited back to the A’s minor league camp in Phoenix this spring. He went with the intention of earning a roster spot in Class A or AA.
Instead, the club gave all the catching jobs to a group of very young and talented players, leaving Barrone as an odd man out.
“It was more about not having room for him,” said Keith Lieppman, A’s Director of Player Development. “We put an emphasis on young catching and we have four or five kids who are 20 or below.
“We saw that Ben wasn’t going to have a chance to make the clubs but he’s a good person and has a good sense of the game and we thought he’d be a good candidate for this position.”
Midland had an opening on its staff because of a unique situation with Casey Myers, who is one of the team’s two active catchers and also serves as the team’s batting coach.
“In order to let Casey do his duties, we needed a guy on that team to be the bullpen catcher, throw some BP and help out,” Lieppman said. “We spoke to (Barrone) about what was available and he liked the idea. We’re not sure where this will take him.”
Barrone is looking at this summer as a pause in his playing career. In the meantime, he’s using the job as a in internship as he finishes up 12 credits toward his coaching degree at Winona State.
“I can put on my resume that I helped coach in Class AA—that would be huge,” Barrone said. “When my time’s up as a player and I’m not going to move up any higher, I definitely would love to be a coach.”
Meanwhile, Barrone is sneaking in some time in the batting cage and picking the brain of Myers and other veteran players on the team with the intention of getting back on the field next summer.
“If I want, I can get my release and go play independent ball or see if someone picks me up,” Barrone said. “I know I could still play. Somebody’s got to give me that shot. I’m only 23, I’m too young to give it up now.”
Joel Badzinski can be reached at (608) 791-8402 or joel.badzinski@lee.net
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