When junior outfielder Zach Barger packed up and left his San Diego-area home after graduating high school in 2004, he never expected to be unpacking his things back at home in San Diego less than a year later.
Barger relocated and moved north after signing with Long Beach State to play outfield for the Dirtbags after high school. After making seven starts in 10 games his freshman season, Barger was looking forward to playing full-time as a sophomore. But head coach Mike Weathers had a different plan for the outfield in 2006 – one that, ultimately, didn’t include Barger.
“I still remember it like it was yesterday,” Barger said about a conference between him and Weathers after the last game of the 2005 season.
“We all came in. We had just lost our regional. Coach came in, and we were turning in our gear and saying our goodbyes and stuff. The coach pulls me into the office and says, ‘You know what? I’m going to give you a decision.'”
It was then that Barger learned his fate: junior college. With all-Big West outfielder Sean Boatright returning for his senior season, the outfield positions were pretty much locked down, leaving little room for Barger.
“He said, ‘I’m going to tell you kind of how I feel. I think the best thing for you to do is go down to a JC and play every day, because that’s what you need to do to develop as a player.’ And of course, I’m not going to come back just to split time with somebody, so I had to go down and play.”
Barger now says it was what was best for him, but was less than thrilled about the news at the time.
“It was kind of like a slap in the face,” Barger said. “I thought everything was perfect. I thought I was going to be [spending] three years up here. That’s what you think, that’s just what you’ve got in your mind.”
Barger went home to El Cajon and played for nearby Grossmont College. His best friend Sean O’Sullivan was attempting to raise his stock by playing JC ball after being selected by the Angels in the third round of the 2005 draft, so Barger decided to play with his buddy for one more year.
Barger thrived playing in his hometown. It was different; the pressure was off and he was playing daily. No longer subject to Weathers’ stricter clubhouse rules, the now-buzzed Barger morphed himself into a Jered Weaver look-alike. And with the hair came hits – Barger hit .354 with six homers and 40 RBI for the Griffins, was second on the team with 40 runs and third with 62 hits, and was named first-team all-Pacific Coast Conference.
Barger helped Grossmont win the Pacific Coast title and reach the California Community College Super-Regional round.
His hot season changed his mind about returning to LBSU, instead, opting to get drafted. But because most scouts assumed he would return to finish his playing career as a Dirtbag, he wasn’t picked as high as he had expected, being selected in the 45th round by Cleveland.
Barger took it in stride, returning to The Beach more confident than ever, only to suffer another blow: He would be redshirted for the 2007 season.
“It’s not easy news, somebody telling you you’re going to redshirt after having a lot of confidence,” Barger said. Admittedly, Barger said, “I kind of came back in here with a swagger.”
Feeling that he had waited his turn and was deserving of the outfield position, Barger looked into transferring to another Division I club, but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“I felt like I had some unfinished business here,” Barger said.
Barger patiently waited out his redshirt year, and now is back patrolling right field, platooning with Jason Corder. All doubt left Barger once he put back on a Dirtbag uniform; he knew it was the right thing for him to do.
“On opening day I kind of took it all in when I was out there in the outfield,” Barger said. “It all kind of made sense right there.”
His business at LBSU is no longer unfinished. All feels right in Barger’s world and the lessons he’s learned over the past three seasons are immeasurable.
“It kind of humbled me a little bit, and it made me get back to what I love to do, and that’s play the game,” Barger said. “I take pride in my journey. It’s got some color, it’s a little diverse. I like it how it happened. It makes for a pretty good story.”
