Meet Matt Barnes: The Red Sox’ Ace Of The Future

At the beginning of this year, it seemed that the Red Sox had a flood of hitting prospects– particularly in the outfield– and not so much on the mound. That may still apply to a degree, but one Red Sox pitching prospect has been really shining to this point. Matt Barnes was the Red Sox first round draftee last season– 19th overall– out of University of Connecticut, where he had had a long and prosperous career as the Huskies’ ace. He played three years for UConn, finishing up last year with a fantastic season in which he went 11-4 with a 1.62 ERA and was the Big East Pitcher of the Year.

The more I look at Barnes’ college stats and scouting reports, it amazes me that he lasted until 19th on the draft boards. Not only did he excel in his junior year, he dominated. He struck out 8.56 batters per nine innings and a 3.58 strikeout:walk ratio. His WHIP was unbelievable at just 0.87 and walked just 2.39 per nine. He has a great body for a pitcher, as the right-hander is 6’4″ and weighs 203 pounds. He throws hard– he ranges throughout the mid-90’s and has been clocked as high as 98 mph. He even throws an excellent curve and a decent change to compliment his fastball.

Barnes has taken all of his advantages and used them to completely dominate the opposition in the lower levels of the minors. He reported to single-A Greenville right out of Spring Training, but he lasted there for all of five starts. In those five starts, Barnes went 2-0 and put up a ridiculous 0.34 ERA and 14.18 strikeouts per nine innings. Needless to say, he was quickly moved to high-A Salem. So far, Barnes has shown no sign of slacking off at Salem, as he is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and an even 15 strikeouts per nine innings.

Barnes is only 21 years old right now, and Red Sox fans are already getting excited about him. He projects to be a future ace as pitching coaches have seen no flaws in his arsenal. He has a smooth, easy delivery in which he generates easy velocity– according to SoxProspects. It’s been a long time since the Red Sox had a starting pitcher who could throw mid-to-high 90’s and strikeout north of nine batters per nine innings. However, Barnes could be that guy before too long. According to SoxProspects, his estimated time of arrival at the major league level is mid-2014, and I can hardly wait!