Barney not bothered by bigger stage, brighter spotlight

Heading into training camp, Cubs rookie Darwin Barney wasn’t burdened by great expectations.

He was just another guy in the mix at second base, targeted for a utility role, probably sharing time at second base and providing an occasional day off for shortstop Starlin Castro and third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

But then he hit .340 in the Cactus League with a .411 on-base percentage, flashed some leather and on Friday became the first rookie second baseman to start on Opening Day for the Cubs since Manny Trillo in 1975.

“It’s exciting and satisfying,” the 25-year-old said before the game, showing no trace of nerves. But that’s understandable considering his background.

Barney helped lead Oregon State to back-to-back College World Series titles (2006 and ’07) as a shortstop before being drafted in the fourth round by the Cubs in 2007. He won a Gold medal in 2006 with Team USA in the World University Games.

He got a taste of big-league life in a 30-game cup of coffee with the Cubs last year, hitting .241.

But still, this was Opening Day at Wrigley Field in front of 41,358 damp, chilly fans and a national following.

“Yeah, there’s about 18 more cameras,” Barney said. “It’s a little different audience. Oregon’s not too big; the Chicago Cubs are nationwide.”

In his first at-bat Barney fought off a 2-2 pitch from Pirates starter Kevin Correia and dumped a soft line drive into right field for a single but was caught stealing second base to end the inning. Some good fortune allowed his seventh-inning pop-up to fall untouched in front of home plate for his second hit of the day, and he scored the Cubs’ third run on a Kosuke Fukudome single.

The 5-foot-10, 179-pounder handled 6 chances in the field flawlessly and was in sync with the just-turned-21-year-old Castro, turning a 6-4-3 double play in the ninth.

“It feels good working with him,” said Castro, who went 3-for-5 and scored twice. “He’s a good guy and a good player, too.”

During his four years in the Cubs’ minor league system, Barney benefited from playing under Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg took a job managing the Phillies’ Triple-A team after losing out to Mike Quade for the Cubs’ top job, but he was Barney’s manager at Class-A Peoria, Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa.

“It didn’t hurt,” Barney said with a smile. “He’s a great guy. We got along really well, and he’s still a good friend. He helped me a lot. He pushed me. He taught me the ropes when I was trying to make the transition to second base. Being on so many teams together, we kind of came up through the minor leagues together.”

While his impressive play in spring training helped Barney elevate his status on the team, he expects his battle for playing time to continue. Jeff Baker will play second base against left-handed pitchers, and Blake DeWitt is still on the roster.

“There were plenty of other guys that played very well that deserved this, too, and they’ll get their chances,” Barney said. “It’s a team effort. I’ve talked with the guys I was competing with, and we’re in this together. But whenever my name’s called I’ll be ready to go.”