CINCINNATI REDS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. JOSE BARRERO, SS
AGE: 24. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 175.
SIGNED: Cuba, 2017. SIGNED BY: Chris Buckley/Tony Arias/Miguel Machado/Jim Stockel/Bob Engle/Hector Otero.
TRACK RECORD: For a team that rarely spends big on free agents, the Reds were always willing to spend on Cuban international free agents under the old format, where bonuses weren’t strictly limited. The signings of Aroldis Chapman and Raisel Iglesias gave a big payoff. Vladimir Gutierrez and Barrero should give the Reds a couple more potentially valuable additions. Barrero signed for $5 million in 2017. A second baseman in Cuba, Barrero quickly took to shortstop in the U.S. A shoulder injury slowed his U.S. debut in 2018, but he had an excellent 2019 season at High-A. On the heels of that, the Reds aggressively promoted him to the majors late in 2020. Barrero showed he wasn’t ready, but he responded by making improvements at the plate in the minors in 2021. He was called up to Cincinnati in September when Kyle Farmer went on the paternity list. When Farmer returned, Barrero got to branch out, playing some second base and center field. Barrero changed his last name from Garcia to honor his late mother Tania Barrero. She died in May 2021 because of a coronavirus-related illness.
Barrero has developed into a solid offensive contributor with above-average power potential and average hitting ability. He is fully capable of crushing fastballs, but his success in the majors will be determined largely by his ability to either better hit or better lay off sliders out of the strike zone. He was regularly victimized by his tendency to chase in his first MLB stint in 2020. In
