Tres Barrera

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #25 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Barrera moved steadily through the Nationals’ system, eventually breaking through to the big leagues in 2019. He likely would have graduated from prospect status by now had he not been suspended for 80 games after a positive test for Oral Turinabol, which cost him the 2020 season. That particular drug is controversial in MLB, because Barrera and others who have tested positive for it maintain their innocence and suggest that there are flaws in the testing for it. He returned to Washington in 2021, hitting .264/.374/.385 in 91 at-bats.
  
  Scouting Report: Barrera checks all the boxes of a solid all-around defensive catcher. He receives well, has a quick release with a strong arm and works well with his pitching staff. He’s also a very good athlete. He’s not a middle-of-the-order bat, but he hit fairly well in the big leagues in 2021 and he’s performed at every stop along the way thanks to sound mechanics and good plate discipline.
  
  The Future: Barrera has proven himself as a solid backup catcher in MLB, and he has nothing left to prove in the minors. With Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams both in the organization and on the roster, however, he will have to fight to stay in the big leagues with Washington.
  
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #16 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera earned all-star honors at high Class A and Double-A en route to making his major league debut in 2019. He was in line for more big league time in 2020 but was suspended for the season after testing positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid on Major League Baseball's banned substance list. Barrera said he was wrongfully suspended based on "junk science" and filed a class action lawsuit against MLB, the commissioner's office, two testing labs and a director of one of the labs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Barrera's strength is his defense. He's an excellent receiver, controls the running game with solid arm strength and a quick exchange and shows the requisite leadership skills for catching. He's a slow runner but makes up for it with good short-area quickness and athleticism behind the plate. Barrera is more of a contact hitter than a power bat offensively, but he has held his own at every stop. He keeps his hands inside the ball, has a repeatable swing and has decent strike-zone discipline.
  
  THE FUTURE: Barrera was reinstated from the restricted list at the end of the season and played in the Dominican League in the winter. He has a chance to be a backup catcher and should be ready to assume that role in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #11 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera, who signed for $210,000, has risen through the system one rung at a time, starting at short-season Auburn in his draft year. In 2019 at Double-A Harrisburg, he set a career high in home runs. He thought his season was over but was summoned to the major leagues when Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki needed time to rest his elbow in September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Nationals see Barrera as someone who will eventually stick in the major leagues, and his bat will determine whether he's a regular or a backup. He found a consistent hitting position at Harrisburg and used the whole field. He kept his hands inside the ball and had a repeatable swing. Barrera has decent strike-zone knowledge as a hitter. He's slow on the bases, but scouts say he's athletic behind the plate. His receiving, blocking and throwing are all good, and his leadership skills are even better. One team official noted that “all he cares about is winning.”
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Fresno is the next progression for Barrera, who now has his spot on the 40-man roster.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #16 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: A talented defensive catcher dating back to his college days at Texas--where he also played third and second at times--Barrera signed for $210,000 in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. Since then he's progressed a level each year and continued to impress scouts and teammates with his work behind the plate.
  
  Scouting Report: A bilingual backstop, Barrera handles the pitching staff well and is athletic behind the plate, with quick actions that allow him to get down and block effectively and soft, quiet hands that allow him to present the ball well to both sides of the plate. His rapid transition and footwork on throws to second base allowed him to throw out 49 percent of baserunners in the Carolina League, and coaches also praised his improved game-calling. Barrera doesn't project to be more than a fringe-average hitter at best, but he does have solid bat speed and raw pull power. He'll need to cut down on his strikeouts and adjust his approach to tap into that potential with any consistency.
  
  The Future: Barrera could project as a regular if he takes a step forward offensively, but if that doesn't happen he could still become a valuable catch-and-throw backup for a major league team.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #285 prospect in 2016 draft
  A versatile catcher who has played third base and even second base as a fill-in, Barrera is best when he's working behind the plate. While Barrera's fringy hit tool will likely keep him from ever projecting as a regular, his improved defense gives him a chance at a backup profile. Barrera has improved his receiving and blocking as a junior, and he was throwing out runners at a 60 percent clip even though his long arm action limits his average arm. As a hitter, Barrera has shown flashes of power--he hit three home runs in a four-game stretch in late March--but there is a lot of swing and miss that comes with his fringe-average power potential. As an experienced college catcher with defensive skills Barrera can expect to hear someone call his name in the top 10 rounds.
• Ranked #200 prospect in 2013 draft
  Though Barrera didn't become a full-time catcher until last summer, he has shown enough promise behind the plate to possibly go in the top five rounds. The 6-foot, 195-pounder is strong for his size and generates solid power with a short righthanded swing. He has a solid arm that produces 1.95-second pop times and has been clocked in the upper 80s on the mound. It also helped him account for 3,308 yards and 44 touchdowns as a quarterback in the fall. Barrera shows the potential to be at least an average receiver, though he has handled little in the way of quality pitching to this point. He's a well below-average runner but moves well behind the plate. He has committed to Texas.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Barrera moved steadily through the Nationals&#39 system, eventually breaking through to the big leagues in 2019. He likely would have graduated from prospect status by now had he not been suspended for 80 games after a positive test for Oral Turinabol, which cost him the 2020 season. That particular drug is controversial in MLB, because Barrera and others who have tested positive for it maintain their innocence and suggest that there are flaws in the testing for it. He returned to Washington in 2021, hitting .264/.374/.385 in 91 at-bats.
  
  Scouting Report: Barrera checks all the boxes of a solid all-around defensive catcher. He receives well, has a quick release with a strong arm and works well with his pitching staff. He&#39s also a very good athlete. He&#39s not a middle-of-the-order bat, but he hit fairly well in the big leagues in 2021 and he&#39s performed at every stop along the way thanks to sound mechanics and good plate discipline.
  
  The Future: Barrera has proven himself as a solid backup catcher in MLB, and he has nothing left to prove in the minors. With Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams both in the organization and on the roster, however, he will have to fight to stay in the big leagues with Washington.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Barrera moved steadily through the Nationals’ system, eventually breaking through to the big leagues in 2019. He likely would have graduated from prospect status by now had he not been suspended for 80 games after a positive test for Oral Turinabol, which cost him the 2020 season. That particular drug is controversial in MLB, because Barrera and others who have tested positive for it maintain their innocence and suggest that there are flaws in the testing for it. He returned to Washington in 2021, hitting .264/.374/.385 in 91 at-bats.
  
  Scouting Report: Barrera checks all the boxes of a solid all-around defensive catcher. He receives well, has a quick release with a strong arm and works well with his pitching staff. He’s also a very good athlete. He’s not a middle-of-the-order bat, but he hit fairly well in the big leagues in 2021 and he’s performed at every stop along the way thanks to sound mechanics and good plate discipline.
  
  The Future: Barrera has proven himself as a solid backup catcher in MLB, and he has nothing left to prove in the minors. With Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams both in the organization and on the roster, however, he will have to fight to stay in the big leagues with Washington.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera earned all-star honors at high Class A and Double-A en route to making his major league debut in 2019. He was in line for more big league time in 2020 but was suspended for the season after testing positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid on Major League Baseball's banned substance list. Barrera said he was wrongfully suspended based on "junk science" and filed a class action lawsuit against MLB, the commissioner's office, two testing labs and a director of one of the labs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Barrera's strength is his defense. He's an excellent receiver, controls the running game with solid arm strength and a quick exchange and shows the requisite leadership skills for catching. He's a slow runner but makes up for it with good short-area quickness and athleticism behind the plate. Barrera is more of a contact hitter than a power bat offensively, but he has held his own at every stop. He keeps his hands inside the ball, has a repeatable swing and has decent strike-zone discipline.
  
  THE FUTURE: Barrera was reinstated from the restricted list at the end of the season and played in the Dominican League in the winter. He has a chance to be a backup catcher and should be ready to assume that role in 2021.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera earned all-star honors at high Class A and Double-A en route to making his major league debut in 2019. He was in line for more big league time in 2020 but was suspended for the season after testing positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid on Major League Baseball's banned substance list. Barrera said he was wrongfully suspended based on "junk science" and filed a class action lawsuit against MLB, the commissioner's office, two testing labs and a director of one of the labs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Barrera's strength is his defense. He's an excellent receiver, controls the running game with solid arm strength and a quick exchange and shows the requisite leadership skills for catching. He's a slow runner but makes up for it with good short-area quickness and athleticism behind the plate. Barrera is more of a contact hitter than a power bat offensively, but he has held his own at every stop. He keeps his hands inside the ball, has a repeatable swing and has decent strike-zone discipline.
  
  THE FUTURE: Barrera was reinstated from the restricted list at the end of the season and played in the Dominican League in the winter. He has a chance to be a backup catcher and should be ready to assume that role in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera earned all-star honors at high Class A and Double-A en route to making his major league debut in 2019. He was in line for more big league time in 2020 but was suspended for the season after testing positive for an anabolic androgenic steroid on Major League Baseball's banned substance list. Barrera said he was wrongfully suspended based on "junk science" and filed a class action lawsuit against MLB, the commissioner's office, two testing labs and a director of one of the labs.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Barrera's strength is his defense. He's an excellent receiver, controls the running game with solid arm strength and a quick exchange and shows the requisite leadership skills for catching. He's a slow runner but makes up for it with good short-area quickness and athleticism behind the plate. Barrera is more of a contact hitter than a power bat offensively, but he has held his own at every stop. He keeps his hands inside the ball, has a repeatable swing and has decent strike-zone discipline.
  
  THE FUTURE: Barrera was reinstated from the restricted list at the end of the season and played in the Dominican League in the winter. He has a chance to be a backup catcher and should be ready to assume that role in 2021.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera, who signed for $210,000, has risen through the system one rung at a time, starting at short-season Auburn in his draft year. In 2019 at Double-A Harrisburg, he set a career high in home runs. He thought his season was over but was summoned to the major leagues when Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki needed time to rest his elbow in September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Nationals see Barrera as someone who will eventually stick in the major leagues, and his bat will determine whether he’s a regular or a backup. He found a consistent hitting position at Harrisburg and used the whole field. He kept his hands inside the ball and had a repeatable swing. Barrera has decent strike-zone knowledge as a hitter. He’s slow on the bases, but scouts say he’s athletic behind the plate. His receiving, blocking and throwing are all good, and his leadership skills are even better. One team official noted that “all he cares about is winning.”
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Fresno is the next progression for Barrera, who now has his spot on the 40-man roster.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Barrera, who signed for $210,000, has risen through the system one rung at a time, starting at short-season Auburn in his draft year. In 2019 at Double-A Harrisburg, he set a career high in home runs. He thought his season was over but was summoned to the major leagues when Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki needed time to rest his elbow in September.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The Nationals see Barrera as someone who will eventually stick in the major leagues, and his bat will determine whether he's a regular or a backup. He found a consistent hitting position at Harrisburg and used the whole field. He kept his hands inside the ball and had a repeatable swing. Barrera has decent strike-zone knowledge as a hitter. He's slow on the bases, but scouts say he's athletic behind the plate. His receiving, blocking and throwing are all good, and his leadership skills are even better. One team official noted that “all he cares about is winning.”
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Fresno is the next progression for Barrera, who now has his spot on the 40-man roster.