Drafted in the 5th round (145th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2004 (signed for $185,000).
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RHP Henry Barrera is one of the few top high school players without a four-year college option (he's committed to Rio Hondo, Calif., JC), so scouts consider him more apt to sign than some of his peers. He has a lightning-quick arm in a 6-foot body and has touched 95 mph, though his velocity was more frequently between 89 and 93. He has received little coaching to date and it will take a lot of work to iron out his mechanical flaws. He has trouble repeating his delivery, leading to command issues.
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Since signing as a fifth-round pick in 2004, Barrera has had one of the best arms in the system, as well as its worst delivery. His poor mechanics came back to haunt him in 2009, when he broke down and needed Tommy John surgery. Since returning last June, he has cleaned up his delivery some but it still has some effort. He has a whippy arm action, collapses on the back side and finishes out of alignment with the plate. His less-than-smooth mechanics do add deception, making his overpowering fastball that much more difficult to hit. Barrera sits at 93- 94 mph on his bad nights and can hit 97-98 regularly when he's going good. His hard slider gives him a potential second plus pitch, though he seems reluctant to snap it off as hard as he did before his elbow reconstruction. In his first year back from the surgery, the Royals took away his hard splitter that actually had more cut than drop. He exhibited better command than he had in the past, though it's still just average. Barrera has a ceiling as a late-inning reliever and could move quickly if he feels more comfortable letting loose in his second year after the surgery. He could open 2011 in Triple-A.
Barrera has one of the best arms in the system, and befitting a dominating reliever, he's all about power. But it has been a very slow climb for the righthander with the mid-90s fastball, which explains why the Royals had to deliberate long and hard before protecting him on the 40-man roster in November. Barrera's problems have revolved around an awkward delivery that caused command problems. Coming out of high school, he crowhopped on his right leg as he began his leg kick at the start of his delivery. His weight shift frequently was so far ahead of his arm that his right foot had left the rubber before he released the ball. He had to be sent back to extended spring in 2007 from low Class A Burlington to rework his motion because it clearly was illegal. Barrera's delivery still flirts with being illegal--it depends on the interpretation of the umpire on any given night--but he has toned it down and has reduced the effort involved. Barrera's secondary pitches have improved as a result. His mid-80s slider and splitter are now plus pitches at times when they had been average at best. The awkwardness of his delivery does create deception, which helps because his slider and splitter aren't that different. His split doesn't drop straight down but cuts like his slider, which has just a little more sweep to it. If Barrera can continue to refine his delivery, he has the stuff to be a late-innings reliever. After enjoying his first extended success in four pro seasons, he'll have to keep improving to handle a jump to Double-A this year.
Barrera is similar to 2003 draft-and-follow Luis Cota, as both are short righthanders with lightning arms. Barrera can reach 96-98 mph with his fastball and 84-87 with his slider. On the other hand, his mechanics and command are raw. He came to the Royals with a hop in his delivery that took his foot off the rubber and placed him off line from home plate. Barrera signed a 2005 contract, passing on a commitment to Rio Hondo (Calif.) Junior College, so Kansas City didn't begin extensive work with him until instructional league. He'll be able to find the strike zone more often once he establishes a more consistent release point. The Royals will take it slow with Barrera, likely assigning him to extended spring training before he makes his pro debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. His focus in his first year will be to locate his fastball (which sits mostly at 89-93 mph) and slider while developing a changeup.
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Rated Best Slider in the Kansas City Royals in 2009
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