After adding stud pitching prospect Mark Appel with the No. 8 pick in the 1st Round, the PIttsburgh Pirates selected Barrett Barnes with the No. 45 pick in Compensatory Round A. The Pirates were awarded the compensatory pick with the loss of Ryan Doumit, who signed with the Minnesota Twins. Barnes hit .325 as an outfielder with Texas Tech this season. He was not drafted out of high school, but he has plenty of potential to play a corner outfield spot and hit for power.
MLB.com draft expert Jonathan Mayo described the rise of Barnes from undrafted high schooler to Top 100 prospect, writing that his production at the plate assuaged fears that he was just an athlete. Here's more from Mayo on the potential of Barnes:
Strong and athletic, Barnes is a little raw as a baseball player, but he has some offensive upside. His best tools are his raw power and his speed, and some of both have shown up in his performance this year. A center fielder currently, Barnes might be best suited for a corner spot when all is said and done. That might mean left field, as his arm is fringy average. He gets high marks for his intensity on the field.
Neal Huntington made a big splash in the top ten, taking a pitcher who many expected would be the No. 1 overall pick. Now he's added a potential future outfielder to pair with the power arm on the first night of the 2012 Draft.
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