Barnes is the 151st former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB

Rochester, Minn. – Former Willmar Stinger, Jacob Barnes, made his Major League debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, June 3, 2016. Barnes is the 151st former Northwoods League player, and the first Willmar Stinger, to reach the Major League level.

Barnes, who played collegiately at Florida Gulf Coast University, played for the Willmar Stingers in 2010. Barnes was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 14th round of the 2011 MLB draft.
 
In 2010 with the Stingers, Barnes was 3-2 with a 2.88 ERA over 21 games. He struck out 42 batters in 25 innings and also had eight saves.
 
Barnes started his Minor League career in 2011 with the Helena Brewers in the Rookie Pioneer League. He went 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA over 18 games. He also struck out 43 batters in 29.2 innings pitched.
 
Barnes spent the 2012 season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Lo-A Midwest League. He had 83 strikeouts in 93.2 innings pitched to go along with four wins and a 3.84 ERA.
 
2013 saw Barnes continue to move through the Brewers minor league system as he spent the year with Brevard County in the Hi-A Florida State League. He started a career high 14 games and appeared in 21 games while winning nine with an overall 3.08 ERA.
 
Barnes split his time in 2014 between two clubs as he began the year in Brevard County and was promoted, after three games to the Huntsville Stars in the AA Southern League. For the season he went a combined 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA. He also struck out 83 batters in 113 innings pitched.
 
Barnes was again in AA for the 2015 season but now with a new Brewers affiliate, the Biloxi Shuckers. Over 39 games he went 4-5 with a 3.36 ERA to go along with 84 strikeouts in 75 innings pitched.
 
Prior to being called up to the Brewers, Barnes had appeared in 17 games with the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox of the Pacific Coast League. He was 2-1 with a 1.21 ERA over 17 games. He had struck out 23 batters in 22.1 innings pitched.
 
In his Major League debut against the Philadelphia Phillies, Barnes entered in relief in the 8th inning replacing Carlos Torres. Barnes struck out Tommy Joseph to start the inning. He then got Jimmy Paredes to hit a soft ground ball to first baseman Chris Carter who then tossed the ball to Barnes covering first. Peter Bourjos then struck out swinging to end the inning.

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The Willmar Stingers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com.