June 6, 2011 at 8:49 PM
Red Sox select Matt Barnes with 19th overall pick
With the 19th overall pick in the draft, the Red Sox have selected Matt Barnes, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Connecticut.
The 6-foot-4 pitcher from Bethel, Conn., was the Huskies’ ace this season, earning Big East Pitcher of the Year honors after posting an 11-4 record with a 1.62 ERA in 16 starts. He threw 3 complete games and fanned 111 batters in 116.2 innings, allowing 31 walks on the year.
In 2010, Barnes went 8-3 with a 3.92 ERA in 15 appearances. He struck out 75 in 82.2 innings for the Huskies, but it was the summer of 2010 where he established himself as a potential ace. After striking out 20 with a 1.42 ERA in 20.2 innings of work for the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League, he left to play for the USA Collegiate Team. Barnes was 3-0 in four appearances for the national team, and in the World University Baseball Championship, was one of four pitchers who finished the tournament without allowing an earned run. At the end of the summer, Baseball America named him the third-best Cape League prospect behind current Red Sox minor-league pitcher Anthony Ranaudo and UConn teammate George Springer.
As a freshman in 2009, Barnes posted a 5.43 ERA in 13 appearances. On the mound, Barnes throws a mid-90s fastball that reaches 97 MPH, as well as a high-70s curve, a slider in the low-to-mid 80s, and a mid-80s changeup.