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Somerset Patriots To Hire New 3B/Hitting Coach

10/22/2019 7:37 AM
Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced that the team will hire a new Third Base/Hitting Coach for the 2020 season. 
 
The Somerset Patriots are looking for interested individuals to fill the position. The ideal candidate should have professional baseball experience and success at different levels of the game. Previous coaching experience is preferred, but not necessary. 
 
All interested individuals should email their resumes and information to Somerset Patriots Director of Baseball Operations Jon Hunton at [email protected].
 
The team has decided that it will not be bringing back Third Base/Hitting Coach Glen Barker for the 2020 season.
 
“I want to thank Glen on behalf of myself, our team and the entire organization,” said Somerset Patriots manager Brett Jodie. “Glen is a true professional who represented us well, helped our team improve in many areas, and cared about who we are. There are always tough decisions to make when you look to the future and how we can get to where we want to be. These decisions are never taken lightly. We felt as an organization that it was time to move in a different direction in that position. We wish Glen and his family all the best and hope he realizes that he will always be a part of the Somerset Patriots family.”
 
Barker just wrapped up his fourth year with the team. In 2019, Barker’s offense struck out the least amount of times of any Atlantic League team (911), finished second in the league in stolen bases (186), and ranked fourth in both batting (.259) and on-base percentage (.332). Additionally, Barker helped three Patriots rank inside the top 10 in the league in stolen bases (Justin Pacchioli, Michael Crouse and Craig Massey).
 
Success with stolen bases, walks, on-base percentage and a limit of strikeouts highlighted the former Major Leaguer’s tenure as a coach for the Patriots. The team led the league in stolen bases once (2016), walks twice (2016, 2017), on-base percentage twice (2016, 2017), and had the least amount of strikeouts two separate times (2017 and 2019) under Barker’s tutelage. 
 
Additionally, Somerset ranked among the top three teams with the fewest strikeouts and finished in the top half of the league in on-base percentage in each of Barker’s four seasons as a coach.
 
The Albany, New York native played in 235 games for the Houston Astros from 1999 through 2001. In 1999, Barker hit .288 with 23 runs scored, 21 hits, two doubles, a home run, 11 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 81 games played.
 
He was originally drafted in the 11th round of the 1993 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. He spent six seasons in the organization before joining the Astros in 1999. His minor league career also included time in the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles organizations.
 
Barker also played three games with the Somerset Patriots in 2003 and remains in the record books as one of only two players in franchise history to record two triples in the same game.
 
For his minor league career, Barker had 430 runs scored, 656 hits, 113 doubles, 31 triples, 37 home runs, 262 RBI and 236 stolen bases.
 
The Somerset Patriots will be back in action at TD Bank Ballpark for the 2020 season. Stay up to date on all the team news throughout the offseason online; on all of our social media platforms, and on our mobile app. For more information, visit www.somersetpatriots.com. 
 
About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
With eight teams in the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, the ALPB is a leader in baseball innovation and a player gateway to Major League Baseball. Through its exclusive partnership with MLB, the Atlantic League tests Major League Baseball rules and equipment initiatives. The Atlantic League has sent over 900 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 40 million fans to its affordable, family-friendly ballparks throughout its 22-year history.
 
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
 

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