Hunter Barco

Barco entered the 2019 draft cycle as one of the most anticipated prep pitchers in the class after blowing up as an underclassmen at Perfect Game’s Jupiter showcase in 2017. There, he showed three plus pitches from the left side with a projectable frame that had some scouts talking about the potential of Barco one day being a top-five pick. That sort of talk has cooled a bit since then, particularly as Barco had an up-and-down summer in 2018, when his fastball wasn’t quite as electric and his arm slot dropped down to almost fully sidearm. That created plenty of inconsistencies with his slider, allowing the pitch to back up too frequently and come across without the bite it had shown previously. However, Barco came out of the gate strong this spring for his senior season. He got his arm slot up and closer to a natural three-quarter look, and he also looked much more physically developed and muscular throughout his 6-foot-4, 212-pound frame. With improved strength, better timing in his delivery and a more efficient arm slot, Barco’s stuff has ticked up this spring. He averages around 91-92 mph with his fastball, but it routinely gets up into the 94-95 mph range and pairs with a low-80s slider that projects as a plus offering. He also has a mid-80s split-changeup that’s among the best in the class with a spin rate in the 900 to 1,110 rpm range. The one concern with Barco this spring is that his control has come and gone at times, but he has the athleticism and clean arm action to project at least average strike-throwing ability in the future. Scouts praise Barco’s professional makeup and he’s put himself into a class of his own in among the 2019 prep lefthanders, but as a Florida commit he is expected to be a tough sign. If he does make it to campus in Gainesville, Barco could make an impact as a two-way player thanks to above-average raw power with the bat, but he is certainly a pitching prospect first and foremost.