The mystery of Ben Barrone, who rocketed from a 44th round draft pick as a college senior last season, to a middling season in rookie ball, all the way up to AA ball this spring, has been solved: the A’s cut the kid as a player, but have offered him a role as bullpen catcher/catching coach in Midland Texas.

From the Winona Daily News:

“Actually, it kind of hurt right away,” Barrone said by telephone from Little Rock, Ark., site of Midland’s season opener. “I’m thinking, ‘OK, I know I can still play.’ I sat down and thought about it a little bit, talked to my parents and we tried to figure out the best way, which was to take the job and stay in the organization.”

Barrone was invited back to the A’s minor league camp in Phoenix this spring. He went with the intention of earning a roster spot in Class A or AA. Instead, the club gave all the catching jobs to a group of very young and talented players, leaving Barrone as an odd man out.

“It was more about not having room for him,” said Keith Lieppman, A’s Director of Player Development. “We put an emphasis on young catching and we have four or five kids who are 20 or below.

“We saw that Ben wasn’t going to have a chance to make the clubs but he’s a good person and has a good sense of the game and we thought he’d be a good candidate for this position.”

Midland had an opening on its staff because of a unique situation with Casey Myers, who is one of the team’s two active catchers and also serves as the team’s batting coach.

“In order to let Casey do his duties, we needed a guy on that team to be the bullpen catcher, throw some BP and help out,” Lieppman said. “We spoke to (Barrone) about what was available and he liked the idea. We’re not sure where this will take him.”

And that’s why it’s a good idea for draftees to stay keen, get to bed early, train hard, and not complain, even when they’re not hitting worth a damn; the Oakland A’s will notice and make sure you have a second chance to stay involved in organized ball.

See Winslow, Ben. See Pratt, Haas. See Scheid, Jeremy.