Hometown pitcher Daniel Barone got called up to the majors and
is expected to start tonight.
Hollister – Hollister product Daniel Barone got the call to the Major Leagues.
A 2001 graduate from San Benito High School, Barone, a right-handed pitcher, was called up by the Florida Marlins from the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes on Wednesday, and will get the nod to start tonight when the Marlins visit the New York Mets, according to his Web site and the Associated Press.
The pitcher was supposed to start Wednesday for the Isotopes, but was scratched, most likely to keep his arm fresh for tonight’s start.
Barone, and his mother, Janet Marquez, were unavailable for comment by press time.
Neal Andrade, who was the head coach at SBHS in Barone’s senior year in 2001 and is now coaching at Gavilan College, heard the news Thursday morning. He said he’s been keeping tabs on Barone through the minors, but noticed the pitcher had the intangibles during his senior year in high school.
“It was my first year, and he was a hard working kid and had a lot of potential at the time,” Andrade said. “Obviously, you pull for a guy that you coached, so it’s kind of exciting.
“It’s kind of an exciting surprise. Over the past two to three years he’s definitely grown and matured. And to see him reach the big-league level is awesome.”
Barone, 24, will be on six days rest for the Marlins. The team will start a three-game series at Shea Stadium in New York. The righty’s last start came Aug. 3, when he pitched 6 2-3 innings of one-run baseball against the Salt Lake Bees, a Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Barone allowed seven hits and one walk in his last start, and struck out eight batters en route to a 3-1 win.
The win gave Barone his seventh consecutive victory for Albuquerque this season, tying a franchise record.
Derek Barnes, who coached Barone when he was a freshman and was Andrade’s assistant when Barone was a senior at SBHS, said the hurler had the tools to make it to “The Show,” so the call-up definitely did not come as a surprise.
“I’ve known him for a long time through the Little League level,” Barnes said. “If any kid could make it, it was him because he was determined. He worked hard and he never complained. He never shied away and that’s probably what they’re seeing in him.”
According to Barnes, Barone is the only player he’s coached that has made it this far. Added the former SBHS coach, “He’s the only one that has made it to the majors and gone this far up.”
Barone was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 41st round after one year at Monterey Peninsula College, and selected again in the 11th round by the Florida Marlins in 2004, according to a previous story published in the Free Lance.
Barone is scheduled to be opposite Mets right-hander Brian Lawrence, who is 1-0 with a 5.40 ERA.
“Right out of the gate at Shea Stadium, that’s gotta be tough,” Andrade said. “But I’m excited for him. We’re going to find a place to watch him on Friday night. We’re pulling for him.”
This season, the 6-foot-2-inch, 205-pound pitcher started in Double-A Carolina, compiling a 1-3 record and 3.86 ERA. Since joining Triple-A Albuquerque, Barone has gone 7-0 with a 4.09 ERA.
“When you get someone to that level, from a town as small as Hollister, you get a sense of pride,” Barnes said. “There’s a lot of people that are happy for him and his family.”
Andrew Matheson is sports editor of the Free Lance. He can be reached at am*******@fr***********.com or 831-637-5566 ext. 334.
