Former Viking Barton slowly finding his groove

Oakland Athletics first baseman Daric Barton, a Marina High product, made his spring training debut Sunday in a game against Arizona.

Barton, playing as designated hitter, was hitless in a pair of at-bats.

Barton missed the team’s first couple of spring training games, as A’s manager Bob Geren told the San Francisco Chronicle that Barton was trying to catch up on his conditioning following October hip surgery.

Barton, 23, played in 140 games for Oakland last season. He batted .226 with nine homers and 47 runs batted in. His position on the team, however, was called into question as the A’s signed Jason Giambi again in the offseason.

A 2003 graduate of Marina, Barton hit .372 with 10 home runs as a senior. Once called up to the majors, he reached base in all 18 games played in the 2007 season, the longest such string to start a career in team history.

� Matt Szabo