Yhonathan Barrios

YHONATHAN BARRIOS, RIGHT HANDED PITCHER
Born: December 1, 1991
Height: 5′ 11″
Weight: 179
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Signed: Int. FA, Pittsburgh Pirates, 2008
Country: Colombia
Agent: N/A

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

Barrios was one of the Pirates’ top international signings for 2009, getting a bonus of $250,000.  He was signed as an infielder who was considered a strong hitter.  He’s stocky and played more at third than at short.  He also missed a lot of time, including all of 2010, due to injuries.  Barrios’ first name is spelled differently by different sources.  In 2013, the Pirates moved Barrios to the mound, where his fastball ranged from 91-95, sitting toward the upper end of that range at least some of the time.  His velocity has increased since he first took to the mound, though, and now sits around 96-97, sometimes reaching higher.  His command is shaky and he doesn’t have an effective secondary pitch as yet, although he throws a slider.

2009
VSL:  241/309/346, 162 AB, 11 2B, 2 HR, 12 BB, 41 K, 2-5 SBPlayed primarily short in debut season.  Barrios started strongly, hitting .371 in June, but slumped to .205 in July.  His K:BB ratio went from 12:7 to 18:3.

2010
Did not play 

Was slated for the GCL, but unfortunately had hamate surgery and missed the season.

2011
R:  299/382/433, 97 AB, 4 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 11 BB, 24 K, 8-9 SB 

Got off to a fast start in the GCL, but slumped to 238/289/262 over his last ten games before getting hurt.  I don’t know what the injury was, but it cost him the last half of the season.  He played mostly third, with a few games at second and two at short.  He had a decent walk rate, but also struck out in a quarter of his at-bats.  He showed some good gap power and did well on the bases.

2012
A-:  196/255/217, 138 AB, 3 2B, 10 BB, 39 K, 11-14 SB

Barrios didn’t make the West Virginia roster and instead opened at State College.  He divided his time between second and third, although Jodaneli Carvajal and D.J. Crumlich, respectively, were the regulars at those positions.  He didn’t hit much at all.

2013
A-:  143/194/250, 28 AB, 1 HR, 2 BB, 9 K, 1-2 SB

R:  2-1-1, 0.82 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 3.3 BB/9, 8.2 K/9

Barrios opened the season with Jamestown and played in 11 games, mainly at second and in the outfield.  The Pirates sent him back to extended spring training in early July and, late in the month, he emerged in the GCL as a pitcher.  He made a successful mound debut, pitching in short relief stints.

2014
A:  2-6-4, 4.70 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 38.1 IP, 3.8 BB/9, 8.9 K/9
A+:  0-1-11, 2.25 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 3.2 BB/9, 5.4 K/9

Barrios got a lot of attention in camp in 2014, as he was consistently hitting 98-99 mph.  The Pirates sent him to West Virginia to start the season and he pitched in relief there through early July.  He wasn’t very effective, getting hit hard and having trouble with left-handed batters.  The Pirates promoted him to Bradenton anyway, probably to get a better handle on whether they want to add him to the 40-man roster, as he’s been eligible for the Rule 5 draft for several years.  He was much more effective with the Marauders, although his K rate dropped to a very low level.  It seems likely that his “true” performance was somewhere in between the West Virginia and Bradenton numbers.

Despite Barrios’ nifty ERA at Bradenton, it was only 20 innings and he’s still just a thrower whose development will be very hard to project.  On the other hand, he managed to pitch successfully in high A despite having very little experience on the mound.  The Pirates will move him up to Altoona.

CONTRACT INFORMATION
2015: Minor League Contract
PLAYER INFORMATION
Signing Bonus: $250,000
MiLB Debut: 2009
MLB Debut: N/A
MiLB FA Eligible: 2014
MLB FA Eligible: N/A
Rule 5 Eligible: Eligible
Added to 40-Man: N/A
Options Remaining: 3
MLB Service Time: 0.000
TRANSACTIONS
July 5, 2008: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent with a $250,000 bonus.