Season in review about nothing: Darwin Barney, ‘The Contest.’

Darwin Barney

Darwin Barney, right, was the first member of the Dodgers’ opening day roster to leave the club. (Associated Press photo)


This is Part 6 in a series in which every member of the 2015 Dodgers has his season juxtaposed with an episode of the greatest sitcom of all-time. Don’t take it too seriously.

Darwin Barney, 2B/SS.

Key stats: Majors: 0-for-4 in two games. AAA Oklahoma City: .277/.325/.354 in 96 games.

Seinfeld episode: “The Contest” (season 6, episode 24).

Key quote: “I’m out!”

It’s easy to forget that Darwin Barney started and finished the 2015 season on somebody’s major-league roster.

Barney was one of the 25 active players whose name was announced over the PA at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day. He had a good, coveted single-digit uniform number (6) after finishing last season in double digits (30). Alas, even this can’t guarantee a baseball player’s tenure. Barney played two games for the Dodgers, went 0-for-4, and was optioned to Triple-A on April 14. He never returned.

At Triple-A, Barney saw action at second base, shortstop and third. In 96 games, he batted .277 and scored 52 runs. In the midst of this strong-but-not-spectacular stretch, Barney was designated for assignment on June 12 to make room on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for Ronald Torreyes. He was then outrighted to Oklahoma City on June 14.

On Sept. 13, the Triple-A season was over and the Toronto Blue Jays needed a shortstop to replace injured All-Star Troy Tulowitzki. So the Dodgers traded Barney for Toronto for minor league catcher Jack Murphy, and Barney had seven hits in 23 at-bats (.304) as a Blue Jay. It was a nice ending to an otherwise forgettable season.

In a season in which 55 men appeared in a game for the Dodgers, someone had to be the first to leave.

Who would be the first to leave was the central question of “The Contest,” an episode in which Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine see who can remain “master of their domain” the longest. (If you don’t know what that means, you can Google it, or just watch this clip below):

Kramer dramatically announces his exit from The Contest with perhaps two of the most famous words in Seinfeld history: “I’m out.”

Considering how the Dodgers utilized their 25-man roster in 2015 (the 55 players were a franchise record), hanging on for a full season became a contest for survival.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.