Barreto reminds some of league MVP
as small as reigning AL MVP Altuve, who is 5-foot-6 on a good day. Barreto is listed at 5-10, a generous estimate by an inch or two, but he’s certainly bigger than Altuve, a player Barreto grew up admiring.
“It’s a pretty high bar,” vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said. “Altuve’s hand-eye coordination is the best in the game and he has that ‘it’ factor, that supreme self-confidence that reveals itself not just at the plate but on the bases and in the field — he constantly puts teams on the defensive.
“Franklin is a bigger, more physical kid than Altuve, but Altuve’s bat-to-ball skills are off the chart. If Franklin comes close to that, that would be great.”
Barreto’s numbers throughout the minors haven’t been much different than Altuve’s at the same age and level — except when it comes to strikeouts. Barreto Ks — a lot. That’s what he’s trying to change.
“It’s a little bit different this spring, I’m going in with the mentality to put the ball in play more, avoid some of the strikeouts I had last year,” Barreto said, with Juan Dorado interpreting. “It’s a mental thing, to look for more quality pitches rather than focusing on making changes at the plate. I’m more looking for an exact pitch, I have more of an exact approach than I had last year.”
In doing so, Barreto is trying to model himself on the man currently blocking his path — and for good reason. As Beane noted, Jed Lowrie was second only to Altuve at the position last year.
“Jed has been completely overlooked around the league,” Beane said. “He had arguably, next to Altuve, the best year of any second baseman in baseball last year and nobody talks about it.”
Barreto knows. He’s watching Lowrie carefully.
“I spend time with him and I look at how he’s been in the major leagues for such long time and why: He simplifies everything,” Barreto said. “He focuses on looking for a pitch that, for him, he’s going to hit for a double, and he focuses on not making errors. I look at what he does and I try to take that same approach.”
If Barreto blossoms into the sort of player many believe he can, the A’s will be able to point to the Josh Donaldson trade without quite as much chagrin; the team sent the All-Star third baseman to Toronto after the 2014 season for Kendall Graveman, Oakland’s projected Opening Day starter, and third baseman Brett Lawrie and left-hander Sean Nolin, neither of whom is playing in the majors. Donaldson was the AL MVP in 2015.
Barreto, meantime, turned 22 Wednesday.
“We forget how young he is,” Beane said. “He’s a very talented kid and he’s always played maybe a level and a half above where he should be. We have kids from last year’s draft who are the same age and they’re in A-ball. Even as a 20-year-old, he was showing his talent. I see it, too, and I’m a pretty hard grader.”
So when will Barreto be up, especially with Lowrie blocking his path? Well, if Lowrie puts together another strong season, he could be moved at the deadline, a la the A’s norm in non-contending years.
Beane, asked if he sees Barreto factoring for the A’s this year, responded, “Oh yeah. I do. That’s not something I usually say, but yes.”
“I know there are two guys who for all intents and purposes are in front of me,” Barreto said of Lowrie and shortstop Marcus Semien, “but I’m just going to keep working really hard and when my time comes, I’ll be ready for whatever they ask of me.”