Rutgers Baseball hires Peter Barron as Director of Player Development

More good news out of the state university as the Rutgers baseball team has added a director of player development, Peter Barron. His list of duties per Rutgers Athletics include: “on campus recruiting, opponent analysis, game preparation, practice reviews, and team travel”. He most recently served as the director of baseball operations for St. John’s (NY) University where he earned his undergraduate degree and a master’s in sports management from St. John’s.

Athletic Director Pat Hobbs has allowed head coach Joe Litterio to continue to makeover his staff. Litterio shared his excitement, “[Barron] brings with him experience and knowledge that will benefit our program and the development of our student-athletes.”

Barron added, “I am very excited about joining Rutgers baseball and being able to join the Big Ten Conference while representing the state of New Jersey.” He continued, “I am extremely grateful to coach Litterio and the administration for giving me the opportunity to join the amazing staff here. I am looking forward to getting started and helping the coaches, players and program reach new heights.”

The Long Valley, N.J. native Barron first worked his way in Jamaica, Queens from student manager to graduate assistant to director of baseball operations. Prior to leaving the Red Storm, he had a hand in virtually every facet of their baseball program, uniforms, equipment, away game logistics, breaking down video, charting pitches, and reviewing statistics. Perhaps most importantly, he managed the staff of five student managers.

What it means for Rutgers baseball

Pat Hobbs blueprint for RU athletics is becoming clearer. The recipe is to A.) start from the top revenue sports (partially out of necessity) and infuse their coaching staffs with people who know that sport even if it means ponying up a little more cash. The baseball team already added “baseball guys” Jim Duffy and Phil Cundari, which demonstrates a real commitment to moving the program forward on the field. Then B.) provide logistical support to allow the coaches do what they do best, coach and focus on the talent aspect of recruiting. Next is C.) to generate a little buzz with facilities and marketing campaigns.

Rutgers athletics also noted how Barron “assisted with team community service and served as the liaison between the coaching staff and departments within athletics.” That signals to me that the athletic department feels Pete will be able to be the organized guy behind Rutgers baseball in B and C which may also free up Glen Gardner to do any number of things ranging from coaching, to recruiting, to helping fund and design facilities. The trickle down effect is Litterio, Duffy, and Cundari can focus more on the teaching part of coaching.

The term “player development” is not that we expect Barron to be the one to help Serafino Brito get his curveball to add a few dozen RPM by next season. The athletic department has academic advisors, but a person in a sport like baseball who really is tasked with developing the players as people is probably what Barron hopes to do. Parents want their prospective student athletes to grow in the program and have it serve as a stepping stone to later in life whatever they end up doing. Barron is local, clearly smart guy who values education himself and I think that will carry over into the overall program culture.

Welcome home Pete!