Miami Marlins Season in Review: Brandon Barker

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 11…of 286. Stay tuned.

Brandon Barker is a 6’3″, 210 lb. right-handed pitcher from Panama City, Panama. Born on August 20th, 1992, Barker was a 16th round selection in the 2014 amateur draft, 493rd off the board by the Atlanta Braves out of Mercer University. In four seasons of Division I ball, he went 20-11 with a 3.29 ERA over 74 appearances. He racked up 250 strikeouts in 277 2/3 innings.

Barker has yet to make it as far as the major leagues, but if he does eventually get there, he will be the eighth member of the “493 club” to get that far. Also selected at the spot have been Bob Tewksbury (1981, New York Yankees, 20.9 WAR), Chris Young (2001, Chicago White Sox, 16.0), and none other than Don Mattingly (1979, Yankees, 42.4).

After the draft, Barker split his first professional season between the Danville and Rome Braves, in Atlanta’s rookie- and low-A organizations, respectively. He was 5-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 appearances, including five starts.

The following year, Barker moved from Rome up to the high-A Carolina Mudcats and even had a pair of starts with the triple-A Gwinnett Braves in the International League. He started 27 games in total through the organization, posting 12-10 record with a 3.25 ERA and 109 whiffs in 146 2/3 innings.

In nine games, including eight starts for the double-A Mississippi Braves in the Southern League in 2016, Barker went 3-2 with a 2.00 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 45 innings. On May 24th, the Braves traded him with Trevor Belicek to the Baltimore Orioles for Brian Matusz. Barker reported to the double-A Eastern League Bowie Baysox, where he was 5-7 over 18 games, including 17 starts.

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2017 would see Barker split his year between the Baysox and the triple-A Norfolk Tides, in the IL. He was 7-5 with a 4.48 ERA. After the season, the Miami Marlins acquired Barker in the triple-A phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, on December 14th.

Barker came out of the bullpen six times for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp after joining the Marlins organization. He put 30 runners on base in 10 1/3 innings, on 19hits and 11 walks. He also struck out 11, but the .396 oppBA was a little daunting for anyone who was paying attention. Most of all Barker, who retired on April 28th, two days after allowing four runs in two innings. Simply put, it appears that enough was enough for Barker.

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