Baseball player
Hunter Harkins Barco (born December 15, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Amateur career
Barco attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida , where he began playing varsity baseball in the eighth grade.[ 1] He committed to play college baseball at the University of Virginia when he was 14, but later switched his commitment to the University of Florida .[ 2] [ 3] He posted a 12-0 record and 0.53 ERA as a freshman and was named The Florida Times-Union Player of the Year.[ 4] Barco then pitched to a 1.84 ERA as a sophomore, a 1.98 ERA as a junior, and a 5-0 record with a 1.84 ERA as a senior in 2019.[ 5] During the summer of 2018, he played in the Under Armour All-America Baseball Game at Wrigley Field .[ 6] He ended his high school career with a 35-4 record, a 1.53 ERA and 336 strikeouts alongside a .299 batting average and 13 home runs.[ 7] He was considered a top prospect for the 2019 Major League Baseball draft , but was not selected until the 24th round by the New York Mets and did not sign due to his strong college commitment.[ 8]
In 2020, Barco's freshman year, he pitched 19+ 1 ⁄3 innings in which he went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 26 strikeouts before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic .[ 9] He spent that summer playing in the Texas Collegiate League for the Tulsa Drillers .[ 10] [ 11] In 2021, Barco started 16 games for the Gators and went 10-3 with a 4.01 ERA, 94 strikeouts, and 26 walks across 83 innings.[ 12] Following the season's end, he was selected to play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team .[ 13] [ 14] Barco was named Florida's Opening Day starter for the 2022 season, striking out 11 batters over six innings in a 19-1 win over the South Alabama Jaguars .[ 15] He was subsequently named the SEC Pitcher of the Week.[ 16] In mid-April, Barco was shut down indefinitely with elbow discomfort.[ 17] A few weeks later, it was announced that he would be undergoing Tommy John surgery and would miss the remainder of the season.[ 18] Over nine starts for the season, Barco went 5-2 with a 2.50 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and 11 walks over 50+ 1 ⁄3 innings.[ 19]
Professional career
Barco was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 44th overall selection in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft .[ 20] He signed with the team for $1.5 million.[ 21]
Barco made his professional debut in the 2023 with the Florida Complex League Pirates .[ 22] He was later promoted to the Bradenton Marauders .[ 23] Over 18+ 1 ⁄3 innings pitched for the season, Barco went 0-2 with a 3.44 ERA and 28 strikeouts.[ 24]
Personal life
Barco's father, Barry, was a placekicker for the Florida State Seminoles football team from 1983 through 1985.[ 25]
References
^ Barney, Justin (February 29, 2020). "All-25 baseball: First-round draft picks, state champs headline this team" . WJXT .
^ "Bolles' Hunter Barco commits to Florida" . WJXT . June 18, 2018.
^ Ashby, Lexi (February 24, 2020). "Meet Hunter Barco: Former MLB recruit, now a UF pitcher" . The Independent Florida Alligator .
^ Barney, Justin. "Bolles pitcher Hunter Barco is just getting warmed up" . The Florida Times-Union .
^ Freeman, Clayton. "Best of the 2010s: Bolles' Hunter Barco heads All-Decade Baseball" . The Florida Times-Union .
^ Atkins, Andrew (May 25, 2018). "2018 Under Armour All-America Road to Wrigley – Hunter Barco" . Baseball Factory .
^ Pinak, Patrick (February 14, 2020). "UF's Hunter Barco is the Most-Hyped Freshman in College Baseball" . FanBuzz .
^ Barney, Justin (June 1, 2019). "MLB draft waiting game begins for Bolles star Hunter Barco" . WJXT .
^ Redman, Bob (February 12, 2021). "Barco adds more heat to fastball, looking to lead in 2021" . 247Sports.com .
^ Lewis, Barry (June 30, 2020). "Drillers update: Heralded Gators lefty Hunter Barco will pitch Wednesday" . Tulsa World .
^ "Hunter Barco Named Pitcher of the Week" . MiLB.com . July 14, 2020.
^ Zielinksi, Dan (November 1, 2021). "Hunter Barco: 'Best decision coming to Florida' " . Baseball Prospect Journal .
^ Goldkamp, Thomas (June 15, 2021). "Two Gators selected to play for USA Collegiate National Team" . 247Sports.com .
^ Lambert, Sara (June 15, 2021). "Two UF baseball players have been chosen for the USA National Team" . WGFL .
^ Pinson, Chris (February 18, 2022). "Barco, Thompson shine in Florida's season opening victory" . WCJB-TV .
^ Goldkamp, Thomas (February 21, 2022). "Hunter Barco named SEC Pitcher of the Week" . 247Sports.com .
^ Runder, Jacob (April 20, 2022). "Hunter Barco out with elbow discomfort" . 247Sports.com .
^ de la Torre, Nick (May 3, 2022). "Hunter Barco's season ends with Tommy John surgery" . ON3 .
^ Runder, Jacob (May 3, 2022). "Hunter Barco to undergo Tommy John surgery" . 247Sports.com .
^ "Pirates Select Hunter Barco with the 44th Overall Pick" .
^ "Pirates 2022 Draft signings tracker" . MLB.com .
^ "Former college standout Hunter Barco impresses in MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates" . 21 July 2023.
^ "Pirates' Hunter Barco: Active at Single-A" . 7 August 2023.
^ "Down on the farm: Big week at the plate for ACD product Brian Navarreto as season enters its final days" . 21 September 2023.
^ Dahn, Jeff (December 30, 2016). "No pitch, no problem for Barco" . Perfect Game USA .
External links