Boston Red Sox stars before they made it to Major League Baseball
By Sam Colman
Red Sox RP Matt Barnes:
He originally played baseball and basketball at Bethel High School in Bethel, Connecticut. He was not drafted out of high school and instead decided to attend the University of Connecticut, which is about an hour away from where he went to high school. He decided he wanted to focus on playing baseball and ended up being a political science major.
In his freshman season, he was used as a starter and a middle reliever. He ended up struggling, finishing with a 5-3 record and a 5.43 ERA. He made 7 starts and came out of the bullpen 6 times.
In his sophomore year, he was used mostly as a starter. He made 13 starts and 2 relief appearances. He finished with an 8-3 record and a 3.92 ERA. He also struck out 75 batters.
He really came into his own as a junior, only being used as a starter. In 17 starts, he finished with an 11-5 record and a 1.93 ERA. He threw 3 complete games and struck out a total of 117 batters.
He won Big East Pitcher of the Year and was then drafted as a junior with the 19th overall selection in the 2011 MLB Draft.