Offseason of change for Barnes
01/10/2003 2:39 pm ET mlb.mlb.com
By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com Larry Barnes would love to play for the team he grew up rooting for. (Ben Platt/MLB.com) LOS ANGELES -- When Larry Barnes signed with the Dodgers in October as a six-year free agent, he was told the club was looking for a left-handed batter that could platoon at first base with Eric Karros.
So he signed.
Then things changed.
Barnes showed up at the Dodgers winter workouts this week and was given a locker a couple spaces away from another left-handed hitting first baseman who has 477 more Major League home runs than Barnes, who has one.
Oh well.
"With McGriff here, I just have to stick as a fourth or fifth outfielder, or just a left-handed hitter off the bench," said Barnes. "I just can't put pressure on myself. I have an expectation to make the team. If the Dodgers like what they see, they'll keep me around."
Barnes, 28, got his first taste of The Show in 2001, going 4-for-40 with the Anaheim Angels. But he spent all last year at Triple-A, while the Angels spent the season on a dream ride to the promised land, convincing Barnes he had hit a dead end with Anaheim after compiling a .290 average in eight minor league seasons with 121 homers and 610 RBIs.
So the Bakersfield native, who attended a handful of games at Dodger Stadium as a child, figured he could be a good fit for what the Dodgers needed. Then along came McGriff, and Barnes was forced to deal with the reality of his situation.
He's dealing with it by showing up regularly at the winter workouts, borrowing a page from Dave Roberts, who parlayed the workouts into a starting job.
"I was talking to Dave this week and he told me his story, which is similar to mine," said Barnes, twice named Angels minor league player of the year. "Just like him, I'm looking to make an impression and see what happens in Spring Training."
Longshots seem to thrive on ballclubs managed by Jim Tracy, who learned in his playing days what it took to squeeze the most out of his ability.
"Jim Tracy left me a message when I signed and he explained how guys like Roberts, (Paul) Lo Duca and (Mike) Kinkade have been given opportunities and made the most of them," said Barnes. "That's what I'm trying to do. I think if I get the opportunity, I can be a good fit. If not at first base, then maybe as a left-handed bat off the bench or as an extra outfielder."
Barnes remains upbeat, not hard to do for a lifelong Dodger fan.
"To grow up 100 miles north of here and to just be on the field is a great time for me," he said. "There's so much tradition here, just to be in this locker room is something else. I just love watching guys like McGriff and Shawn Green. I just try to blend in."
Visa accepted here
Native Venezuelans Giovanni Carrara and Cesar Izturis are not expected to experience any delays obtaining a work visa despite the prolonged political turmoil in their homeland, according to the Dodgers' senior manager of Latin American operations.
"They will have their visas next week," said Luchy Guerra. "Major League Baseball was proactive and made arrangements so the Major Leaguers can get to Spring Training on time."
Because of the national strike in Venezuela, staffers at the American consulate will be ordered home at the end of next week, but Guerra said all Venezuelan Major Leaguers will be expedited. Minor leaguers, however, could encounter delays.