Daric Barton

[Matt Breen]

Anyone have a clue what happened to him last year? He had a really nice 2010, then just pulled a Casey McGehee and imploded in 2011.

 

He's a good fielder, takes a ton of walks. Mediocre power - at best. What happened to the BA last year? Just curious if anyone had any insights. He'd be an interesting 'buy low' if you think Gamel is too risky to give 1B.

 

Interesting that he has struggled against right handers, even though he is a lefty. .761 OPS in 2010, and a .533 last year.

[dadofandrew]

He was hurt last year, but both he and Loney will improve just by getting out of pitcher's parks. Both are plus fielders as well.

[DHonks]

Barton, like Loney, was a huge mess when I saw them in the AFL. Loney's head was on straight, he was just an ass. But Barton was both an ass and a problem kid. He may have matured, as that was 6 years ago. But I doubt it since it seems this guys don't change. Napoli, Howard, and Drew were good guys...Barton and Loney were a pain.

[CheezWizHed]

Napoli, ... were good guys...

 

That's not what I hear from Chris Carpenter...

[DHonks]

Napoli quietly went about his business catching bullpen sessions. The ball always jumped off his bat with authority, but there was question as to whether or not his defense was passable. He played 1b, DH, and C. That team also had 3 other catchers I think--Carlos Ruiz, Jeromy Brown, and John Baker. While Browny was a favorite of mine, I later learned he had some demons in the minors that held him back. Throw in that the squad also had Josh Wilson (he's had a serviceable career), Ryan Howard, Mark Teahen, and Huston Street, and that was a pretty good squad.