Barnes served as the closer for the Dunedin Blue Jays in 2012 (Image credit: Vince Caffiero and MiLB.com)

Name: Danny Barnes

Position: Right Handed Pitcher

Date of Birth: 10/21/1989 (23)

Acquired: Selected in the 35th round of the 2010 draft (bonus undisclosed)

High School: Manhasset (Manhasset, New York)

College: Princeton University

Height/Weight: 6’1”/195 lbs

Bats/Throws: L/R

Awards and Accomplishments:

• Ranked 29th on 2012 Top 30 prospects list
• 2012 Florida State League Post-Season All Star
• 2012 Florida State League Mid-Season All Star
• 2007 Northeast All Region

2012 Statistics and Analysis

1-3, 34 SV, 53.0 IP, 39 H, 11 ER, 4 HR, 18 BB, 65 K
1.87 ERA (2.75 FIP), 1.08 WHIP, 11.04 K/9, 3.06 BB/9, 0.82 GO/AO

Through the first two years of his career, Barnes was a strikeout machine. Between the Gulf Coast League and Lansing in 2010 and 2011, he threw a total of 103.2 innings and punched out 152 batters for a strikeout rate of 13.20 K/9. Something strange happened in the first half of 2012, however. While he maintained his always excellent ERA (2.28), his strikeout rate returned to the realm of mere mortals, with just 28 batters retired by way of the K over 27.2 innings (9.11 K/9). Furthermore, hitters were reaching base at an uncharacteristically high rate (1.45 WHIP). Whether it was a mechanical adjustment or divine intervention I cannot say, but Barnes figured things out in a big way in the second half and began pitching like a man possessed. Over the final 23.2 innings of his season, he allowed just 13 base runners (0.55 WHIP), one run (0.38 ERA), and struck out hitters at an otherworldly rate of 13.31 per nine innings.

As a less relevant but still interesting aside, Barnes’ 34 saves led the Florida State League, with the second place reliever falling 12 shy of his mark. It was the second consecutive season a Dunedin pitcher led the league in that statistic (2011, Wes Etheridge, 32 saves).

Scouting Report

Video (via mopupduty.com)

Delivery Mechanics

Often times when pitching prospects are immediately thrust into the reliever role it’s because their deliveries don’t project to hold up over a 200 inning workload. That’s not the case with Barnes, as he has sound mechanics and very ease arm action coming from the 3/4 slot. As he strides his front foot lands perpendicular to the mound and he maintains a loose plant leg through the release. The delivery is simple and clean, and he repeats it well.

Pitch Arsenal Breakdown

The reason Barnes has always been and will always be a reliever in professional baseball is because he doesn’t have the arm strength to maintain velocity for long stretches; he’s almost exclusively a one-and-done guy. With a fresh arm, he’ll sit in the 90-92 mph range with his fastball, touching upwards of 94. When asked to go out for a second inning, that velocity steadily dips towards the high 80’s. The fastball has a bit of sink but below average movement overall, which when combined with his height (6-foot-1), leads to fly ball tendencies. He’s done a good job of avoiding the home run thus far (8 HR allowed in 156.2 career innings), but it will be something to monitor.

Barnes has a trio of secondary offerings, headlined by an 81-83 mph slider with above average potential. The slider has tilt and some impressive depth, already acting as a swing-and-miss pitch. He’ll also work in a changeup, particularly against lefties. It’s shown a lot of improvement since his Princeton days, but Barnes is still inconsistent with maintaining deceptive arm speed. When he throws it soft, it has too much tumble and not enough firmness, leading to easy takes low. Barnes will throw a curveball as well, but the pitch is noticeably behind his other three offerings. As a one inning reliever, it’s a vestigial pitch that could and should be worked out of his repertoire as he begins facing the talented hitters of the upper minor leagues. Like every young pitcher, he’s more control than command at this point, but he projects to be above average and average in the two respectively.

Projection

The perfect world projection for Danny Barnes would be an elite setup man or mid-tier closer; something in the mold of Toronto’s Casey Janssen.

2013 Outlook, Risk, and ETA

For the second consecutive season, Barnes spent (basically) the entire year at one level, and dominated the opposition. I expect the first part of that trend to be bucked in 2013, as while Barnes should open the year as the closer with Double-A New Hampshire, the Blue Jays will likely have him ascend the ranks as the year progresses. The possibility of a late season debut with Toronto is very real, as while he lacks a true dominant pitch, Barnes has the diverse arsenal and tight control needed to survive in the major leagues. Further working in Barnes’ favor is that after the conclusion of the 2013 season, he’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, forcing Toronto to add him to the 40 man roster or risk losing him to another club – and he’s exactly the type of player that gets snatched up. With that in the back of their mind, the front office may decide to add Barnes late-season and see what they have in the right hander in August or September.

Despite all this, those of us sitting comfortably in our temperature controlled offices, houses, and apartments expect the players to have consistently strong seasons from the beginning of April through to the end of August. In reality, it rarely happens. Hot streaks and cold streaks are the normality, with players hoping when all is said that the hot will outweigh the cold. Listed below are eight players. The first four are Blue Jays prospects who overcame the conditions and battled through the season, coming on at their strongest in the second half. The second group of Blue Jays prospects are those who got off to a hot start, but failed to carry it through to the end of the season.

The pre- and post-All Star designations are based upon the individual league that the prospects played in. For example, the Midwest League All Star break is in late June, while the Eastern League All Star break takes place in early July. For players who split the season between two minor league levels, the separation is from the level at which they were playing when they experienced the All Star break. As short season players have no first half, they’re omitted from consideration for this article.

Second Half Studs

The prospects with the best second half, with images courtesy the US Presswire, The Girl's Guide to the Blue Jays, Sports Road Trips, and Ward Perrin of Canada.com

RHP Noah Syndergaard (Single-A Lansing)

• Pre All-Star: 3-2, 43.2 IP, 44 H, 19 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 57 K, 3.92 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 11.75 K/9
• Post All-Star: 5-3, 60.0 IP, 37 H, 11 ER, 0 HR, 16 BB, 65 K, 1.65 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 9.75 K/9

Noah Syndergaard opened the year pitching in tandem with Anthony DeSclafani. They alternated who started the game and who relieved, and as I wrote in detail months ago, Syndergaard didn’t handle pitching out of the bullpen very well whatsoever. As such, it’s no surprise that once he was freed from the clutches of relief work in the second half, his numbers really took off. His 65 post All-Star strikeouts were the third most in the Blue Jays system, behind Javier Avendano and Justin Nicolino, though both pitchers had a significant inning advantage. The word “overhyped” was starting to get thrown around in prospects circles when Syndergaard’s ERA was sitting around the 4.00 mark, but his downright filthy second half performance should cement his position as an elite pitching prospect. The jump from Single-A to High-A is significant, so Syndergaard will need to have a focused offseason if he hopes to have another dominant season for Dunedin – and possibly New Hampshire – in 2013.

3B Gustavo Pierre (Single-A Lansing)

• Pre All-Star: 52 AB, .135/.224/.250 (.474 OPS), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, 6/16 BB/K
• Post All-Star: 226 AB, .279/.321/.451 (.772 OPS), 13 2B, 7 3B, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 5 SB, 10/63 BB/K

Gustavo Pierre opened the 2011 season with Lansing, but after hitting .187/.244/.262 in 56 games while playing porous defense at shortstop, he was demoted down to Bluefield. He finished the year very strongly, but when assignments came this spring, Pierre’s was to extended spring training instead of full season ball. Thanks to injuries and the poor performance of another player on this list, however, he got a second chance with the Lugnuts at the end of May. The season quickly became reminiscent of 2011, as through his first 15 games he had an unsettling .474 OPS. The team stuck with him this time, and it paid off in the second half, as Pierre was one of the Lugnuts’ most consistent hitters in July and August. The decrease in stress from shifting down the defensive spectrum to third base likely helped substantially, as while the 20 year old is still extremely raw in the field, his body type is much better suited to the hot corner.

RHP Danny Barnes (High-A Dunedin)

• Pre All-Star: 17 SV, 27.2 IP, 28 H, 7 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 28 K, 2.28 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 9.11 K/9
• Post All-Star: 17 SV, 23.2 IP, 9 H, 1 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 35 K, 0.38 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 13.31 K/9

After a dominant full season debut with Lansing in 2011, I ranked Barnes as the Blue Jays’ 29th best prospect; not an insignificant honor for a relief pitcher in such a deep system. Things didn’t get off quite so well with Dunedin in the first half of 2012. Sure, the ERA was sexy and he was piling up saves, but the strikeout rate was well down from 2011 (13.50 K/9), and way too many runners were getting on base. The way he was pitching, an implosion seemed inevitable. Something happened around the All-Star break though, as in the second half of the season Barnes pitched like a man possessed. His strikeout rate returned to its previous level of dominance, and he allowed just 13 base runners in 22 games. Barnes’ stellar finish to the season guarantees a Double-A assignment next spring, with the major leagues a distinct possibility in the not so distant future.

3B Kellen Sweeney (Single-A Lansing, Low-A Vancouver)

• Pre All-Star: 117 AB, .188/.314/.222 (.536 OPS), 2 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 1 SB, 21/27 BB/K
• Post All-Star: 268 AB, .220/.319/.347 (.666 OPS), 15 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 31 RBI, 5 SB, 37/50 BB/K

Kellen Sweeney was the sleeper pick amongst many Blue Jays fans entering the 2012 season. He was a second round pick in the 2010 draft, but thanks to a late contract agreement and a serious wrist injury in 2011, he had appeared in just 27 games through his first two seasons. The team knew they needed to get the 20 year olds career moving in the right direction, so they handed him a bold Lansing assignment. It didn’t take long to realize Sweeney wasn’t ready, as he was simply awful through the first two months of the season. Gustavo Pierre took his roster spot, and Sweeney was sent to extended spring training to await short season ball. He has been significantly better with Vancouver in the second half, with his OPS improving each month from June through August. Sweeney should prepare himself for a second crack at the Midwest League next spring, because a lot will be riding on his performance.

Second Half Duds

CF Jake Marisnick (High-A Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire)

• Pre All-Star: 285 AB, .256/.338/.439 (.777 OPS), 20 2B, 7 3B, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 10 SB, 26/61 BB/K
• Post All-Star: 204 AB, .240/.293/.343 (.636 OPS), 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 14 SB, 11/39 BB/K

Jake Marisnick had a very strong start to the season in High-A Dunedin. While the numbers were down compared to his breakout 2011 season with Lansing, he was still at or around the .800 OPS mark for much of his time in the Florida State League, which is quite an accomplishment. The FSL is a notoriously difficult place to hit, and Marisnick’s performance was accentuated by the painful-to-watch struggles of the corner outfielders to his left and right. Things went substantially downhill after a promotion to the Eastern League, as at times Marisnick looked completely overmatched. If not for a strong closing week, his second half OPS would have been below .600. He still has all the tools in the world and is looked upon very favorably in the scouting community, but he will have a chance at statistical redemption when he represents the Blue Jays in the Arizona Fall League later this year.

RHP Aaron Sanchez (Single-A Lansing)

• Pre All-Star: 6-0, 47.0 IP, 24 H, 4 ER, 0 HR, 28 BB, 53 K, 0.77 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 10.15 K/9
• Post All-Star: 2-5, 43.1 IP, 40 H, 21 ER, 3 HR, 23 BB, 44 K, 4.36 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 9.14 K/9

Fluff pieces were aplenty about Aaron Sanchez in the first half, and I was guilty of more than a few. The above line makes it readily apparent why – he truly was filthy. The scouting reports were just as glowing, as scouts were more than willing to label Sanchez’ curveball as one of the best in minor league baseball. His 97 mph capable fastball is pretty nice, too. Control and command have always been the question with Sanchez, and they became a big problem in the second half, particularly on the command end. His walk rate remained similar, but the pitches entering the zone weren’t going exactly where he wanted. Instead of pounding down like he did in the first half (.156 opponents average, 2.76 GO/AO, 0 HR), his location drifted upwards, leading to a huge increase in hitability (.252 opponents average, 1.82 GO/AO, 3 HR). Sanchez’ failure to finish his pitches suggests this is a case of fatigue, as the right hander threw just 54.1 innings in 2011. While the second half numbers are disappointing, the experience should better prepare him for yet another workload increase next season.

RHP John Stilson (High-A Dunedin, Double-A New Hampshire)

• Pre All-Star: 5-1, 76.1 IP, 75 H, 24 ER, 2 HR, 29 BB, 64 K, 2.83 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7.55 K/9
• Post All-Star: 0-3, 28.0 IP, 35 H, 21 ER, 6 HR, 13 BB, 27 K, 6.75 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 8.68 K/9

John Stilson was one of the biggest question marks in the farm system entering the season, and the Blue Jays’ handling of the right hander supplied few answers. Stilson suffered a serious shoulder injury in his final college season, and there were doubts he’d be able to start the year on time. He did, and the team pushed him right into the High-A rotation where he had an excellent first half. The strikeout rate was merely average, but for a player making his professional debut, the results were more than satisfactory. Stilson received a mid-June promotion to Double-A, where things quickly unraveled. The move to the bullpen at the beginning of August likely tied in to an innings cap, so perhaps the drop in performance was fatigue related. Stilson will return to New Hampshire to open 2013, and if the Blue Jays have any sense about them, it will be in a permanent relief role. It speaks volumes when a college pitcher struggles to reach the 100 inning plateau in the minor leagues.

LF Marcus Knecht (High-A Dunedin)

• Pre All-Star: 219 AB, .228/.328/.438 (.766 OPS), 16 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 2 SB, 31/72 BB/K
• Post All-Star: 233 AB, .193/.277/.343 (.620 OPS), 16 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 18 RBI, 3 SB, 19/74 BB/K

A 3rd round pick in the 2010 draft, Marcus Knecht established himself on the prospect radar with a big season for Lansing in 2011, particularly for his combination of power (199 ISO) and plate discipline (12.7% walk rate). He joined the aforementioned Marisnick in Dunedin, with high expectations. Like Marisnick, Knecht had a solid albeit unspectacular first half. His batting average plummeted due to a soaring strikeout rate, but his power and plate discipline kept his overall batting line respectable. Things got worse in the second half, as not only did his contact rate take yet another step backwards, but his usually strong accessory statistics fell flat as well. The overall season line is rather unsightly, as Knecht was just barely able to keep his on base percentage above the .300 mark. While a Double-A assignment next spring isn’t out of the question, his second half was so poor that the Blue Jays might decide Knecht needs to prove himself capable of hitting High-A pitching for a couple of months.

1. LHP Sean Nolin (DUN): 0-0, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K

Sean Nolin (RIGHT) poses with his Dunedin teammate, infielder Kevin Nolan, in June (Eddie Michels, Toronto Sun)

This week’s hottest prospect earned himself a promotion to Double-A New Hampshire thanks to a season long hot streak that culminated in his dominant performance on the 14th of August against Brevard County. The 6-foot-5 left hander struck out 10 batters in five innings, allowing four hits and zero walks. A pair of runs crossed the plate, but both were unearned due to some shoddy High-A defense behind him. An early June injury sidelined Nolin for the better part of two months, but his overall season numbers of a 2.19 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 9.38 K/9 across 86.1 innings is highly impressive. When combined with his breakout numbers in the Midwest League back in 2011, we have a very real prospect on our hands. Nolin doesn’t have the stuff to be a top, or even middle of the rotation starter in the major leagues, but he’s establishing himself as a durable pitcher with a solid #4/5 starter ceiling.

2. 3B Gustavo Pierre (LAN): 20 AB, .450/.500/.700 (1.200 OPS), 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB, 2/6 BB/K

Pierre opened the season in extended spring training, but after Kellen Sweeney struggled mightily for the Lugnuts over the first two months, Pierre received the bump to Lansing and has progressively improved as the year wore on. In the months he’s received significant playing time, his OPS has increased from .544 in June, to .769 in July, to finally .952 here in August. The 20 year olds overall season line has risen to .260/.317/.414, a vast improvement over the .187/.244/.262 he produced for Lansing in the first half of 2011. Originally a shortstop, historically bad defensive numbers forced a move to third base, where, while still extremely raw, he appears to have settled in. The offensive tools have always been prevalent; harnessing them has always been the problem. After two consecutive years of poor showings, he’s finally displaying the ability that made him a top IFA in 2008.

3. LHP Griffin Murphy (BLU): 0-0, 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 K

There is no hotter pitcher in minor league baseball over the past month. Dating back to July 11th, Murphy has pitched 25 innings, and has allowed a total of zero earned runs. Over his last 10 appearances, his ERA is 0.00. In those innings he’s allowed just nine hits and eight walks, while striking out 30. The dominance was exemplified last night, as in his first start for Bluefield – taking the place of recently departed Kevin Comer – he pitched 4.1 innings, allowed zero runs on one hit, and struck out seven. The biggest detractor against Murphy is his age, as the left hander is 21 years old and will turn 22 before next season begins. When I named him the 27th best prospect in the system over the winter, I hoped for a Vancouver or Lansing assignment to accelerate his development and put him on a more ideal timeline. That didn’t happen, and given his numbers, rookie-class Bluefield obviously wasn’t challenging enough. The season is running out of games, but a promotion to Lansing for the playoff run could do wonders for his future with the club.

4. C Santiago Nessy (BLU): 20 AB, .350/.435/.650 (1.085 OPS), 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB, 3/6 BB/K

With Carlos Perez now a member of the Houston Astros, a void has been created in the low minors for a top catching prospect. Nessy appears to have filled that spot, as after I named him a sleeper prospect entering the year, he’s gone on to produce a .252/.318/.458 slash line for Bluefield. For a catcher, that’s exceptional production. Power has been the calling card for the young Venezuelan, which isn’t particularly surprising given his 6-foot-2, 230 lbs frame. As a highlight of that tool, Nessy hit a home run in four consecutive games between August 11th and August 16th. His eight home runs are first on the team, while his eight doubles are tied for second. The catcher won’t turn 20 until December, and is looking at a Single-A Lansing assignment next year if everything goes to plan. Losing Perez hurts, but Nessy has established himself as a solid replacement in the system.

5. 1B Art Charles (VAN): 21 AB, .333/.440/.714 (1.154 OPS), 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, 4/5 BB/K

Power continues to be the defining tool of Art Charles, as even a promotion to the wider dimensions of the Northwest League parks have been unable to contain him. His ISO with the Canadians sits at 245, which is exceptional even for a first baseman. The biggest drop in performance since his promotion has been his walk rate, as entering this week he had just four base-on-balls in 16 games after walking 33 times in 31 games for Bluefield. Charles resolved that problem this week, as in addition to his usual power (two doubles, two home runs), he walked four times while striking out just five times. With the graduation of David Cooper and the low ceiling of Mike McDade, one could argue that Art Charles is now the top first base prospect in the system; though that’s more an indictment of the positional depth than it is a complement to Charles.

6. LHP Justin Nicolino (LAN): 1-0, 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Aaron Sanchez has cooled off and been injured. Noah Syndergaard has struggled to find innings as he approaches his season limit. Meanwhile, Justin Nicolino keeps on rolling. His start this week was his eighth consecutive outing of five-or-more innings. His 109.1 innings this year are tied with Anthony DeSclafani for first on the team, while his WHIP is tied for first among starters. His six strikeouts against Fort Wayne on the 17th gave him 107 total punchouts on the year, which moved him into the team lead. I have mentioned before that Nicolino’s ceiling is obviously below that of Sanchez and Syndergaard, but his performance this season has proven that his floor is easily the highest, as he’s become the most durable and reliable of the trio.

7. RHP Danny Barnes (DUN): 0-0, 3 SV, 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

I stretched the list to seven this week solely so I could include Danny Barnes. The Princeton grad (yes, the same Princeton that Carlton Banks attended on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air) has been a dominant reliever since the Blue Jays made him a 35th round pick in the 2010 draft. He transitioned into the closer role for Dunedin this year, and has excelled to the tune of a 1.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 11.02 K/9 in his 49 innings. Barnes made four appearances this week, in which he didn’t allow a run and earned three saves. His 32 saves on the year are first in the Florida State League by a mile, as the second place reliever, Chris Rearick of the Tampa organization, has just 20. As a four year college senior he’s always been a bit old for the level he’s pitched at, but Barnes absolutely has a middle relief or setup-type ceiling.

Honorable mention: Javier Avendano (VAN), OF Kevin Pillar (DUN)

Las Vegas 51s (more…)

No. 37: Daniel J. Barnes

Almost doubling his innings total from 2010, Barnes fanned 99 batters in 66 frames for a 13.5 K/9 in 2011. (whitecapwendy via Flickr)

Relief pitcher / 22 years old / 6′1″ 195 lbs

Born: October 21, 1989 in Manhasset, New York

Bats: Left    Throws: Right

High School: Manhasset H.S.

College: Princeton University

Drafted By: The Toronto Blue Jays in the 35th round (1056th overall) of the 2010 Amateur Draft

Signed: June 15, 2010

Pre-2011 Rank: 41

Quick Facts:

• Posted an 8-1 record with a 0.80 ERA and 103 Ks in 58 innings as a senior in high school.
• Economics major at Princeton
• Works on his degree during the off-season, set to finish this winter
• Moved to the bullpen during his freshman year but soon returned to starting again despite enjoying success as a reliever.
• Only pitched in three games in 2009 due to injury, missing out on a full year of progression as a result.
• The injury led to a slow start in 2010 and a few bad outings.
• Favorite pitcher is Roger Clemens
• Played with Princeton teammate Jack Murphy this past season in Lansing

Career stats:

Lansing Lugnuts team ranking (min. 5 appearances):

• 1st in games finished (25), K/9 (13.5),
• T-1st in appearances (44)
• 2nd in saves (13), strikeouts (99), H/9 (6.0) and WHIP (0.97)
• 4th in ERA (2.32)
• T-6th in wins (5)
• T-8th in innings pitched (66.0)

Interviews:

Three interviews with Lugnuts radio broadcaster Jesse Goldberg-Strassler from summer 2010, April 2011 and September 2011.

Extra Information and previous experience:

Few relievers in the entire Blue Jays organization opened as many eyes as right-hander Danny Barnes did this past season.

After recording an uncanny 7.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 rookie ball innings in 2010, Barnes skipped a level and closed out the season with Class-A Lansing where he struggled, giving up seven earned runs on 17 hits in 10 2/3 innings along with eight walks.

Last year with the Lugnuts, however, things were quite different.

After storming out of the gate to fan 17 batters in nine April innings, Barnes never looked back and continued his dominance throughout the rest of the season. In a career-high 66 innings–almost double the 37 2/3 he pitched in 2010–the New York native finished the year with a 2.32 ERA/1.79 FIP and struck out 99 batters, good for a 13.5 K/9. To put that into perspective, Barnes’ 99 strikeouts ranked second on the entire Lugnuts roster behind only starter Sean Nolin, who pitched 42 more innings.

While he once again displayed his ability to dominate right-handers, what was most impressive about Barnes’ breakout 2011 season was how he shut down left-handed hitters. After struggling against them in a small sample size one year ago, he managed a 1.88 ERA in 28 2/3 innings against them in 2011 with 47 strikeouts, nine walks and a .150 average.

The key to Barnes’ success last season, though, was his ability to locate his fastball, something that he discovered while pitching in the Gulf Coast League in 2010. Unafraid to throw strikes, he kept his 92-94 mph four-seamer in the zone more often than not, and the result was a pitch that opposing hitters just couldn’t seem to hit.

Having relied primarily on his fastball until now, Barnes will need to really develop his off-speed pitches going forward. A starter with Princeton,  he featured a lackluster curveball and chanegup prior to signing with the Jays. Since then, he has worked hard on his low-80s changeup, turning it into a somewhat effective offering, especially against left-handed hitters. While it’s a pitch that he needs to be more consistent with overall, he feels comfortable throwing it in any count.

Though his high-70s curveball is still mediocre at best, Barnes’ slider could really be the difference-maker for him. Starting out as more of a slurve, he tinkered with it as the season wore on to get it to bite like a pure slider, and his development of the pitch will certainly be something to keep an eye on next season as he faces tougher competition. There has also been rumblings that he was working on a cutter with Lugnuts pitching coach Vince Horsman this past season as well.

Expected 2012 team: Dunedin Blue Jays (High-A)

Ultimate ceiling if he puts it all together: MLB closer

A 35th-round pick by the Jays in 2010, Barnes showed in 2011 that his late-season struggles with Lansing in 2010 were merely a result of fatigue, after having thrown over 70 combined innings in college and the Gulf Coast League.

Now, he enters the 2012 season with the potential to be the best relief pitching prospect in the Blue Jays organization, but he’ll need to stay healthy and further develop both his slider and changeup in order to make that happen. As someone who is acclaimed for his drive and strong work ethic, though, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Barnes.

-JM

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