Jordy Barley

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #28 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: A $1 million signing for the Padres in 2016, Barley has been inconsistent in his first few seasons as he’s worked to turn his readily apparent speed and athleticism into production. He spent all of the 2021 season at Low-A, coming over to the Nationals’ system in July as part of the trade that sent Daniel Hudson to San Diego.
  
  Scouting Report: Barley has an impressive collection of tools but he’s not yet a complete player. He has game-breaking speed, and as he’s moved up, he’s become a more efficient base stealer. He also has power that projects as average down the line. Defensively, he has the hands and arm for shortstop, and he recently made a change to throw from more of a three-quarters slot to improve his accuracy, but he still makes errors in bunches, including 46 miscues last season. Some evaluators have noted that the errors seem to be more of the careless or mental variety rather than physical. He has primarily played shortstop but has also played plenty of second base, and some have seen center field as a potential landing place.
  
  The Future: Barley has come a long way in his development, but he still has a long way to go. His tools are endlessly intriguing, even if they still require a lot of refinement.
  
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #30 prospect in 2018
  The Padres gave Barley $1 million during their 2016 international signing bonanza, a bonus well above industry consensus. He went out and showed himself to be arguably the top athlete in the entire Rookie-level Arizona League in 2017, flashing incredible quick-twitch, plus-plus speed and bouncy, freakish athleticism. That athleticism, however, has yet to translate into baseball skills. Barley is wildly erratic defensively at shortstop. He closes on balls incredibly fast but rushes everything, sometimes botching grounders and at other times throwing the ball erratically, taking away from his plus arm strength. The end result was 30 errors in 43 games and a sense he will have to move to center field unless he learns to calm himself and play under control. Barley shows intriguing above-average power potential but again rushes everything, lacking timing at the plate and getting overaggressive. He wore himself out by the end of the season, hitting .183 with no home runs in August. Barley's tools and athleticism shine, but he has a lot of growth ahead to make them play on the field. He may get a shot at low Class A Fort Wayne in 2018.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #17 prospect in 2017
  The Padres' record-breaking 2016 international signing class included Barley, a well-known Dominican who signed for $1 million. In a matter of months, he showed himself to be the most explosively athletic player of the 52 the Padres signed in that international spree. Barley is extremely twitchy and plays with high energy. Controlling that energy level will help him in the future, because he tired late in the season. He was often behind on pitches, hitting just .183/.237/.254 in August, and he also needs to develop better timing at the plate. He's got impressive raw power when he gets to it, but he hit all four of his home runs in the first three weeks of the season. Barley should be able to stay at shortstop but has the skills and athleticism to handle center field. At shortstop he closes on balls quickly and flashes a plus arm, but his inexperience and lack of throwing accuracy resulted in 30 errors in 43 games. He is a tick above-average runner.

• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: A $1 million signing for the Padres in 2016, Barley has been inconsistent in his first few seasons as he’s worked to turn his readily apparent speed and athleticism into production. He spent all of the 2021 season at Low-A, coming over to the Nationals’ system in July as part of the trade that sent Daniel Hudson to San Diego.
  
  Scouting Report: Barley has an impressive collection of tools but he’s not yet a complete player. He has game-breaking speed, and as he’s moved up, he’s become a more efficient base stealer. He also has power that projects as average down the line. Defensively, he has the hands and arm for shortstop, and he recently made a change to throw from more of a three-quarters slot to improve his accuracy, but he still makes errors in bunches, including 46 miscues last season. Some evaluators have noted that the errors seem to be more of the careless or mental variety rather than physical. He has primarily played shortstop but has also played plenty of second base, and some have seen center field as a potential landing place.
  
  The Future: Barley has come a long way in his development, but he still has a long way to go. His tools are endlessly intriguing, even if they still require a lot of refinement.