Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 7: Brandon Barriera

The prospect of this article may come as a shock to some people.

Just a quick recap of the mid-season list: We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and finally other publications (Prospects Live, MLB Pipeline, Baseball America)’ scouting reports.

Let’s take a look at Brandon Barriera.

Getting to know Brandon Barriera…

Position: Starting Pitcher

Throws: Left

Born: March 4, 2004

Acquired: 1st round, 2022 draft

Current Team: Single-A Dunedin (Injured List)

Previous Ranking: 3

So the big question is why has Barriera dropped on my list? Well for me, proximity to the major leagues plays a big part in my ranking. As you’ll see in the next few days, every player except for Arjun Nimmala is in the upper minors (or the majors).

Barriera’s drop is not due to a lack of talent either, as Barriera has a high ceiling. Moreover, he had a good professional debut, pitching to a 4.42 ERA and a 3.26 FIP in 18.1 innings pitched, along with a 31.5 K% and an 11 BB%.

In terms of what the former first-round pick offers, Barriera has a fastball, slider, and changeup mix. The left-handed pitcher sat in the low 90s prior to being drafted but reached 98 mph (with late movement) in the fall of 2022 according to MLB Pipeline. The slider has good sweep and is a promising pitch, while the changeup looks like a changeup out of the hand, which is always great.

All three of these pitches are graded at 55 according to MLB Pipeline, while his control is graded at 55 as well. This is because he isn’t afraid to pound the zone forcing the batter’s hand.

Barriera is still quite a few seasons away from making the big leagues, and health will be a big factor over the next several years, as he missed time in 2023 due to bicep, shoulder, and elbow injuries according to MLB Pipeline.

Either way, he has one of the highest ceilings of anyone on the list!

Next up…

Spoiler alert, the next prospect (Spencer Horwitz) ranks as the Blue Jays’ sixth-best prospect and has for three of the four times I’ve done a list for Blue Jays Nation.

In case you missed it…

• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 50: Garrett Spain
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 49: Connor Cooke
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 48: Michael Dominguez
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 47: Alejandro Melean
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 46: Trenton Wallace
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 45: Brennan Orf
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 44: Robert Robertis
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 43: Sam Shaw
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 42: Rafael Lantigua
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 41: Yhoangel Aponte
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 40: Nick Goodwin
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 39: Irv Carter
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 38: Jimmy Robbins
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 37: Otto López
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 36: Peyton Williams
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 35: Trent Palmer
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 34: C.J. Van Eyk
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 33: Dasan Brown
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 32: Tanner Morris
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 31: Connor O’Halloran
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 30: Kendry Rojas
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 29: Zach Britton
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 28: Adrian Pinto
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 27: Rainer Nuñez
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 26: Hagen Danner
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 25: Hayden Juenger
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 24: Manuel Beltre
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 23: Chad Dallas
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 22: Josh Kasevich
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 21: Adam Macko
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 20: Yosver Zulueta
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 19: Jace Bohrofen
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 18: Cade Doughty
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 17: Enmanuel Bonilla
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 16: Alex De Jesus
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 15: Gabriel Martinez
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 14: Dahian Santos
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 13: Landen Maroudis
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 12: Alan Roden
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 11: Juaron Watts-Brown
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 10: Tucker Toman
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 9: Damiano Palmegiani
• Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 8: Leo Jimenez

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