Hunter Barco
LHP 6-4 208 Florida
2021 Florida stat line - 16-starts, 10-3, 4.01, 83-IP, 94-K, 26-BB
2022 (thru 3-15-22) - 4-starts, 3-1, 1.93, 0.64, 23.1-IP, 34-K, 3-BB
10 College Baseball Stars to Watch Ahead of 2022 MLB Draft
LHP Hunter Barco, Florida
2022 Stats: 3 GS, 2.65 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 2 BB, 28 K, 17.0 IP
Hunter Barco was No. 32 in Baseball America's top 500 draft prospect rankings before the 2019 draft, but signability concerns caused him to slip to the 24th round. He then made it onto campus at the University of Florida.
The 6'4", 220-pound left-hander went 10-3 with a 4.01 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 83 innings last season, and he began his junior campaign as one of the top draft-eligible college pitchers in an unusually thin class.
He throws a ton of strikes, backs up his quality fastball with a 60-grade slider and an above-average changeup, and he has some deception in his delivery that helps his stuff play up. He might carry more of a high floor than ceiling, but that's plenty valuable if he can develop into a solid No. 3 starter.
2-21-22 - Ethan Hughes @ethanhughes97
Hunter Barco has been named the SEC Pitcher of the Week and one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the Week.
He carried a perfect game into the sixth inning of the opener against Liberty on Friday:
https://t.co/iFF5vDyEN4 https://t.co/3UGNFaUmQn
1-25-22 - https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2022-college-top-25-preview-no-6-florida/ -
Player to know: Hunter Barco, LHP
Barco is entering his third season in the Florida rotation and will this spring take over as the staff’s ace with Tommy Mace now in pro ball. He last season went 10-3, 4.01 with 94 strikeouts in 83 innings. He was one of the best prep players in the 2019 class to get to campus and has lived up to that billing, thanks to his powerful fastball-slider combination. He has the potential to be the best pitcher in the SEC.
1-18-22 - https://www.baseballamerica.com/rankings/2022-mlb-draft-top-100-prospects/ -
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Hunter Barco
Florida LHP
Notes:
Ht: 6-4 | Wt: 210 | B-T: L-L
Commit/Drafted: Mets '19 (24)
Age At Draft: 21.6
Barco was a highly-touted prepster who ranked No. 32 in the 2019 draft class, but made it to campus at Florida where he quickly stepped into a full-time starting role and posted a 3.52 ERA over 102.1 collegiate innings, with 120 strikeouts and 32 walks. Barco throws from a low slot that adds deception and helps his stuff play up, which includes a fastball that’s typically in the low 90s with a slider that flashes plus in the low 80s and a changeup that has gotten similar grades in the same low-80s velocity range. The slider can get sweepy and back up at times with his low arm slot, but when he’s hitting on the pitch the horizontal movement and the angle Barco attacks from make it tough to hit. His fastball isn’t a strong vertical movement profile—it’s more of a running pitch that can get punished when he leaves it over the middle of the plate—but he has shown an ability to spot up and dot the pitch to both sides of the plate at best. Barco should move into the Friday role for Florida thisspring, and has a chance to shoot up draft boards with solid performance.
12-30-21 - https://www.prospectslive.com/prospects-live/2021/12/29/2022-mlb-draft-top-300-prospects -
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Hunter Barco
LHP
Florida
Jacksonville, FL
Highly regarded in 2019, Barco decided to go to Florida rather than turn pro. He was sidelined with a shoulder strain toward the end of his prep career which gave some teams pause, but he's been mostly healthy in Gainesville. Barco has an impressive slider that consistently sits plus, and a changeup that flashes above average. His fastball generally is a low 90s offering but plays up a bit thanks to some short-arm deception, up to 95. That said, evaluators want to see Barco's fastball develop shape moving forward as it's stuck in the "dead zone" resulting in very little swing-and-miss. Some have compared Barco to a Patrick Corbin-type in the past. He's a famous name at a famous program and will have every bit the opportunity to capitalize on big moments as a weekend arm for the Gators.
Hunter Barco comes in at No. 54 on the list after a 2021 season in which he was named to the Newcomer All-SEC Team and Southeast-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second Team. His 10 wins was the most of any pitcher on the roster and he also had a team-high 16 starts, Barco finished the year with a 4.01 ERA, allowing a 239 batting average against and 94 strikeouts in 83 innings pitched. The second-year performance came on the heels of a standout freshman season in which Barco went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 19.1 innings.
11-20-21 - Brian Recca -
34. Hunter Barco
Position: Left Handed Pitcher
School: Florida
Barco looks more physical this fall and he’s starting to really fill out his projectable 6’4/220 frame with strength. Barco releases from a low ¾ arm slot with some deception added by his shorter arm action. He’s able to get extended in his delivery and he uses the length in his delivery to work from a good angle. You can see some stiffness there at times, especially with the finish and landing. I’d like to see a little more twitch and flexibility this spring.
11-12-21 - Through The Fence Mock 2.0 -
17. Philadelphia Phillies: Hunter Barco, LHP, Florida
I feel like Barco has been on our radar for years, but he really hasn’t. His name keeps popping up because he’s a talent that has potential to become the best Florida pitcher in the last 10 years, and that’s saying something.
11-1-21 - Prospect Live - Top 200 Prospects -
46 Hunter Barco
10-31-21 - bpj -
Hunter Barco is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound left-handed pitcher who throws a four-seam fastball, slider, splitter and changeup from a three-quarters arm slot and deceptive delivery.
His top pitch is his mid-90s fastball that features plenty of run and late movement. It is a tough pitch for hitters to pick up due to his delivery and the pitch’s movement. Barco likes to attack right-handed hitters inside with his fastball, as it appears like it will hit them before tailing back over the plate.
Barco’s slider has made major strides to develop into his best off-speed pitch in his time at Florida. He has found a consistent release point with his slider. Barco will throw his slider for a strike at 80-82 mph and then burry a hard slider, around 84-86 mph, in hopes of generating a swing and miss.
10-29-21 - PG College Baseball @PGCollegeBall
Hunter Barco (‘22 elig) working 92-93 w/ serious angle from heavy crossfire. Sweeping SL in low-80s is go-to. Long, gangly w/ broad should. Lots of decep to match stuff.
10-19-21 - Through The Fence - Mock 1.0 -
17. Philadelphia Phillies: Hunter Barco, LHP, Florida
I feel like Barco has been on our radar for years, but he really hasn’t. His name keeps popping up because he’s a talent that has potential to become the best Florida pitcher in the last 10 years, and that’s saying something.
10-17-21 - dougout edge baseball -
LHP Hunter Barco, Florida.
Bat: L. Throw: L. 6'4", 220 lbs. Born 12/15/2000. Hometown: Jacksonville, FL.
2021: 10-3, 4.01 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 94/26 K/BB in 83 innings.
Hayden Dunhurst, Landon Sims, Cade Doughty, and Cayden Wallace may have been nationally-known prospects coming out of high school, but Hunter Barco was the most hyped of all of them at Bolles High School in Jacksonville, earning first round grades from some evaluators. His performance at Florida has been more up and down than he may have liked so far, but with a 3.52 ERA and a sharp 120/32 strikeout to walk ratio through 102.1 innings over two seasons, he remains very much a contender for the first round. Barco has a deep arm plunge in his delivery and comes from a low three quarters slot that gives a unique look to hitters, especially from the left side, getting down the mound well with his lower half and showing off his athleticism. His stuff can be inconsistent, with a fastball that can get up to 96-97 at its best but which has also been known to drop into the upper 80's. The slider is his best pitch, a plus, sweepy breaker when it's on that creates a lot of confused swings, while his split changeup gives him another above average pitch. Barco's in-zone command can come and go but he does a very good job of pounding the strike zone even when he isn't feeling as precise with his location, and only once in his twenty career starts has he walked more than three batters in an outing. The 6'4" lefty has projection remaining and is a very good athlete, and he gave a glimpse at his ceiling this summer when he struck out eight of the ten batters he faced for the US Collegiate National Team. On the docket for 2022 will be a bit more consistency, which could help him overtake Connor Prielipp, Landon Sims, and Peyton Pallette as the best arm in the conference.
1 comment:
Is it worth drafting a guy who is projected as a 3 starter?
I have to believe there are aces this high in every draft
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