‘Chiquito’ has big upside
Diminutive infielder Barreto has power and speed and ability to hit for high average
MESA, ARIZ. >> His teammates call him “Chiquito,” which means “tiny” in Spanish, but A’s top prospect Franklin Barreto transforms into a giant when he steps into the batter’s box.
Listed at 5-feet-10 on the A’s roster, Barreto appears to be a little shorter in person. But the second baseman/ shortstop has been putting on a show this spring. With a pair of triples and a home run through five games, and a propensity to crush home runs during batting practice, Barreto is resembling another small-statured second baseman with thunder in his bat — 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve.
Barreto and Altuve share many of the same qualities. Aside from the unexpected power, Barreto, 22, has shown throughout the minor leagues he possesses the speed to wreak havoc on the bases as well as hit for a high average.
The one skill Altuve excels at that Barreto currently lacks? Plate discipline.
Barreto struck out a combined 174 times in 540 at-bats last year in Triple-A and the majors. To cut down
that number, Barreto is using spring training to shorten his leg kick in two-strike counts. It’s a slight adjustment, but Barreto believes getting the front leg down earlier will allow him to see the ball a little longer and make more contact.
“It’s a little strange for me,” Barreto said of the adjustment. “But I’m trying it to swee how it goes.”
It’s a skill Triple-A Nashville coach Eric Martins sees as the final phase for Barreto to conquer in order to become an elite hitter. While comparing Barreto to Altuve is ludicrous at this point, Martins couldn’t help but mention the Astros star when asked for a major league player comparison.
“If you look at the stature, who does he remind you of? Jose Altuve,” Martins said. “To put that on him would be tough, but if it comes, it can be as dynamic as him.
“This kid’s got special abilities. He’s got power. He has the ability to hit it all over the park with some doubles and triples. He can do it all. The only part of his development that I think is left is tightening up his strike zone.”
Swinging at bad pitches is not an easy habit to change, especially for a young hitter. But Martins believes there’s something different about Barreto.
Barreto’s hot streak in the first month last year at Triple-A — he hit .333 over 22 games — was described by Martins as “unbelievable” and unlike anything he had ever seen in his three years as a hitting coach in the A’s organization.
A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn, Barreto’s teammate in Nashville at the time, was also amazed by what Barreto was doing.
“He didn’t miss a barrel. It was incredible to watch,” Blackburn said. “I see him being a guy who can make an impact this season.”
Barreto hit .290 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 111 games at Triple-A, but it was that first month that led Martins to imagine an Altuve-like impact Barreto could bring to the majors.
“He’s tweaking some things that are gonna try to work for him,” Martins said. “The strikeouts are gonna come. We’re not gonna cut down his strikeouts by 50 percent, but if you can cut them down by 25 or 20 percent, he’s so special that if he just puts the ball in play, he’s gonna beat out some infield hits. That’s where his value is.”
Martins views Barreto as a player who can also easily hit 15-20 home runs in the big leagues once the strikeouts cut down.
In Saturday’s game against the Padres, Barreto showed off that sneaky power with a home run off Tyson Ross, a blast Martins said was a product of the new approach.
“The thing with Altuve is he can hit any pitch and put the ball in play. If we can get Barreto to do that, sky’s the limit. If we get anything close to Altuve, we’ll take it,” Martins said.
While Barreto’s bat is ready to make an impact in the majors, he appears to be blocked in Oakland by second baseman Jed Lowrie and shortstop Marcus Semien.
A’s GM David Forst acknowledged it would be best to get Barreto everyday at-bats at Triple-A.
“He’s always had age on his side and he still does,” Forst said. “I think with Semien and Lowrie there, something would have to happen for him to be with us. It was great he got his feet wet (last season) and we’ve all seen the ability there. With a kid that age, it’s all about consistency. Doing it on every at-bat.”
In the meantime, Barreto is doing his best to make the team’s decision on whether he will start off in the big leagues as tough as possible. He is feeling more confident in camp this time around because of the new hitting approach.
“I’ve been learning the game a lot more and this year, I came into the spring really prepared,” Barreto said. “I feel really good. I just need the opportunity.”