Charlie Barnes

From Sumter, S.C, Barnes stayed in his home state, as did his younger brother, James, who is a redshirt freshman quaterback on the national championship Clemson football team. A 6-foot, 175-pound lefthander, Barnes pitched primarily out of the bullpen his freshman year before moving into the weekend rotation as a sophomore, where he went 6-4 and posted a 4.66 ERA. In the fall, Barnes received plenty of draft buzz from area scouts who saw him touch the low-90s and maintain his velocity deeper into outings. That improved velocity didn't transfer over to the spring, though, as Barnes has pitched mostly around 87-88 mph and occasionally brushed 90. While not overpowering, Barnes pitched to a 5-4, 2.73 record with a 109 strikeouts to 21 walks in 95.2 innings. Barnes is able to paint the corners and keep the ball low in the zone while turning over a plus, mid-70s changeup as his main out pitch. He mixes in an average upper-70s curveball and a short, tight low-80s slider for a full four-pitch mix. Matched up against premium ACC aces like J.B. Bukauskas and Brendan McKay, Barnes more than held his own due to his command, competitiveness and pitchability. He projects as a fairly safe back-of-the-rotation starter.