After being acquired prior to the trade deadline in 2014, infielder Darwin Barney re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a one-year deal that December.
A 2012 Gold Glove Award winner, where Barney fit in on the retooled roster last season wasn’t clear heading into Spring Training.
Despite making the 2015 Opening Day roster, Barney’s time up with the Dodgers last season was short-lived. He appeared in just two games, going 0-for-4, and was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 14 when David Huff was needed for a spot start.
Barney was designated for assignment in June, though remained with the Dodgers organization. He hit .277/.325/.354 with four home runs, 15 doubles, 31 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 96 games with OKC.
After being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays mid-September, Barney went on to appear in 15 games over the final month of the regular season. However, due to being acquired after the Aug. 31 deadline, the middle infielder wasn’t eligible for the Jays’ postseason roster.
Barney hit .304/.333/.609 while playing second base for Toronto.
2015 Highlight
In his final at-bat of the 2015 season, Barney crushed a pinch-hit two-run home run in a 12-3 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the second game of a doubleheader less than a week prior, he hit a solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles.
Hitting two home runs over a one-week span may certainly be perceived as being out of the norm for Barney, who now has 21 homers in his six-year career. However, it was the fourth time he’d hit multiple home runs in the same week.
2016 Outlook
Barney elected free agency following the 2015 season. His glove should land him an opportunity with another club, which potentially could be the Dodgers if Barney is open to another season of serving as organizational depth.
