Barton has less room for error

JUPITER, Fla. -- Outfielder Brian Barton is working without a net this spring.

A year after coming to the Cardinals via the Rule 5 Draft, Barton no longer holds the protected position that status affords. Last year, he had a roster spot to lose. This year, he has to win one. And with at least five other viable candidates for outfield jobs in Cardinals camp, his odds are long.

St. Louis selected Barton in the Rule 5 Draft in December 2007, bringing him to Spring Training 2008 to see what they had. Although Barton struggled in early drills, he played well in Grapefruit League games, making it easy to put him on the roster. And once he was there, he stayed. If a team wishes to send a Rule 5 player to the Minors, it must first offer him back to his previous club for $25,000.

Knowing they had a player with some value, the Cardinals never did that. This time around, though, Barton can be optioned to Triple-A Memphis just like any other player.

"It's a different situation for me," said the University of Miami product. "I know that I don't have to be up in the big leagues all year. I know that now I have to more, in a sense, earn my spot -- even though I felt last year I earned my spot. I felt last year I played well enough in the spring to show that I fit. To be in a position where it's the same thing, it's nothing new to me. I've been in this position all of my career. So I'm not surprised by being in this position."

Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick are on the club. Skip Schumaker is too, though he might make it as a second baseman rather than an outfielder. But if Schumaker converts to the keystone, the likely beneficiary of that move is top prospect Colby Rasmus, not Barton. A healthy and even somewhat productive spring gets Chris Duncan on the roster. And Joe Mather's impressive 2008 debut likely puts him ahead of Barton on the depth chart as well.

Even if it's all the same guys in the competition, the hill is steeper for Barton this spring.

"He's 180 degrees [away from last spring]," said manager Tony La Russa. "He's going to get the same kind of playing time, but [this year] is to make the club vs. we tried to add him to the organization. So the stakes are different. But he's going about it good. His bat's got good life. He's running well. I think he'll have a good spring and make it tough."

But that, in a nutshell, is the difference. A good spring for Barton last year made it easy. This year, a good spring makes the decision difficult. A good spring forces him into the conversation, rather than ticketing him for Triple-A Memphis.

Not that Barton couldn't benefit from a stint at Triple-A. He still has only 323 at-bats above Double-A. Then again, he'll turn 27 before the season's first month is over, so the clock is ticking.

"He hasn't played that much," La Russa said. "He did a nice job coming off the bench, but for his development it wouldn't be a great way to spend the '09 season. He probably would prefer it, because of the salary and everything. But he is a right-handed-hitting outfielder, and that's a commodity that's important on our club."

It's that right-handedness that may help Barton most. Ankiel, Duncan, Rasmus and Schumaker all hit from the left side. Mather and Ludwick swing righty. Barton also brings impressive on-base ability, having posted a career .413 OBP in the Minors and .354 as a rookie in the big leagues. That could get him some at-bats as a leadoff man against left-handed pitching.

Barton's bat isn't really the question, though. The Cardinals would like to see more from him defensively, and he did progress in that regard in 2008.

"They're going to pitch him a little different because they know him a little better, so [he will need to] make adjustments," La Russa said. "I know he runs well. As the season went on, he really got more confident defensively. We'll see how he's throwing, just gauge him as a player."

Barton believes that all told, he has the skills to impress and win a spot. But he also knows how things stack up right now.

"I know that in a lot of people's eyes, it seems like I'm not in the mix," he said. "But the same thing happened last year. I wasn't in the mix, in a lot of people's eyes. It was the same competition going into last year. I started out struggling a little bit. I was dealing with [recovery from knee surgery]. But when it was time to perform, I came out and did what I had to do."

So when Grapefruit League games start Tuesday, he'll be looking for a repeat performance.

"Everything [in 2008] was a learning experience," he said. "I drew a lot from it. This year is another one. I'm just hoping to avoid the sophomore jinx. I guess in my case the sophomore jinx would be not being up here."

(mlb.com)