Texas Tech OF Barrett Barnes, 20, was the Pirates sandwich round selection. He was landed in just about his predicted slot, as most of the draft gurus had him rated somewhere around the #40 player available. Barnes' stock was hurt a bit because the Red Raiders weren't a strong team this season, missing the Big 12 playoffs and limiting his exposure, though he did make three pre-season All-America teams and All-Conference.
Barnes is a fair-sized guy at 6'1", 210 pounds. He's a RH college centerfielder with plus speed and an arm
that's just average, so defensively he likely projects as a left fielder. Barnes is a good OBP guy, hitting .325/.422/.577, and he walks about as much as he whiffs (32-36) in college.
The speedster has a near perfect record swiping bases this year, being picked off once while stealing 19 sacks. The Red Raider has shown some raw power with nine homers this year for TT, and that's his big question mark - will he develop into a speed and power guy to plug into left field, which has been devoid of a hammer since the Jay Bay days?
Barnes does have good bat speed and a nice eye at the plate, though he's a pull hitter and will have to learn to use more of the field, especially at PNC. The Pirates, by picking him here, obviously feel that he has a chance to become a guy who can both catch the ball and clear the fence with some maturity and coaching.
The slot price for the 45th pick is $1,136,400. It's likely he'll sign for about slot, so his selection probably won't contribute much to the Mark Appel kitty.
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