Baseball: Barnes poised for success after long recovery

Dan Barnes was throwing smoke.

During last year’s spring break, the baseball team traveled south to face top-ranked North Carolina, and the then-sophomore starter was hardly intimidated by the competition. Barnes struck out the first batter he faced, and after a lengthy 10-pitch battle, sent the second down swinging as well. But on his first pitch to eventual No. 2 MLB draft pick Dustin Ackley, things took a sudden turn for the worse.

“I started the game and felt fine in warmups,” Barnes said. “But then [Ackley] came up, and after one pitch, I felt something in my bicep. Next thing I know, my bicep is killing me, and I don’t know what’s going on.”

Barnes would go on to walk Ackley and give up a pair of run-scoring singles before leaving the game prematurely. After three weeks of examination, he was diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his bicep, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.

“I wasn’t able to use my bicep for four months or so,” Barnes said. “But I rested it the rest of the season, and all summer I kept working and getting my strength back. So it feels good now.”

The Tigers are certainly glad that Barnes is healthy again, as they will count on the righty to anchor their rotation. Princeton hurlers posted the best ERA in the Ivy League last year, but two starters from last year’s squad, David Hale ’10 and Brad Gemberling ’09, are now playing professionally after being selected in last summer’s MLB draft.

Princeton, which tied with Cornell for first place in the Ivy League’s Gehrig Division last season, will also feature a very different lineup this season.

The Tigers lost six position players to graduation and the draft, putting more pressure on Barnes and the rest of the pitching staff.

“We’re going to have a really strong team this year, but the key for us is going to be our pitching and our defense,” Barnes said. “We lost some of our older hitters last year … but hopefully, our pitching and defense are there, and some of our freshman bats step up.”

Junior David Palms — who won five of his seven starts last season — and senior Langford Stuber will join Barnes in the rotation, and the team brings in a strong class of freshman hurlers as well. But few pitchers can match Barnes’ ability when healthy.

“[Barnes] has got a deceptive delivery, which is a very good thing,” head coach Scott Bradley said. “You talk to the hitters, and they don’t get a real good look at the ball. He throws hard, and he has very advanced feel for his changeup as well.”

While rehabbing and recovering from his injury, the junior found the time to expand his repertoire. Barnes has been notorious for his fastball, which easily tops 90 mph, but improved his offspeed stuff during the offseason.

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“My go-to [secondary] pitch has been my changeup,” Barnes said. “But I’ve really worked on my slider going into this year, and it’s gotten a lot better. So I’ll probably be using that a lot more.”

“We really like the development of his breaking ball,” Bradley added. “It really gives him a solid third pitch to finish people off, where in the past he was more of two-pitch guy.”

Barnes hardly needed more help finishing hitters off, as he was a strikeout machine even before refining his slider.

Barnes struck out 103 batters in 58 innings in his senior year at Manhasset Secondary School. His success has carried over to the college ranks, where he has fanned 50 in 46 innings, while walking just 14.

Bradley said that his top starter might be even more dominant this season.

“He’s throwing better than he ever has, his velocity is better than it’s ever been, and I think that’s just a credit to Danny and his work ethic,” Bradley said. “Danny is as diligent a worker as we’ve ever had, and he really attacked rehab all year and during the summer. Sometimes for a pitcher, [getting] away from throwing ultimately makes your arm livelier and stronger, and that’s what we’ve seen so far in intrasquad games.”

Barnes is considered a potential draft prospect, due to his stuff, control and work ethic.

Princeton has developed a number of professional starting pitchers, including last year’s two draftees, as well as major leaguers Chris Young ’02 and Ross Ohlendorf ’06.

“[Being a part of this program] is awesome,” Barnes said. “You can look to the guys who have been drafted previously and try to be like them. It’s helpful to know those guys, and they can help you.”

And by the end of this season, opposing Ivy League hitters will likely also hope that Barnes is drafted, so that they might not have to face him for another year.