Blue Jays select Brandon Barriera 23rd overall in 2022 MLB Draft
Posted July 17, 2022 10:02 pm.
The Toronto Blue Jays selected left-handed pitcher Brandon Barriera with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft on Sunday.
Barriera was selected out of American Heritage School in Florida and was the 15th ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline heading into the draft. The 18-year-old signed with Vanderbilt but has until Aug. 1 to decide if he will sign with the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays select lefty Brandon Barriera with the 23rd pick. High school lefty out of American Heritage in Florida.
From Baseball America scouting report: "Fastball sits in the low 90s and regularly touches 96. This spring Barriera peaked at 98-99 mph"
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 18, 2022
Barriera has a four-pitch mix with a fastball that ranges from 90 to 95 mph to go with a changeup, curveball, and slider.
“He’s the best pitcher we’ve ever had come through here,” American Heritage head coach Mike Macey said of Barriera ahead of the draft. “I’m not even going out on a limb to say that. I think that’s pretty obvious. He’s the only pitcher that we’ve ever had you’d consider to be a first-round guy. He’s got the most hype around him.”
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Barriera said he looks up to former New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte as a model for his game and a reason he decided to learn how to pitch left-handed.
Alek Manoah (No. 11 in 2019), Austin Martin (No. 5 in 2020) and Gunnar Hogland (No. 19 in 2021) were Toronto’s last three first-round selections.
The Blue Jays also hold the 60th, 77th, 78th, and 98th selections, giving the team five picks within the top 100.
LHP and New York native Brandon Barriera grew up idolizing Andy Pettitte.
The #15 prospect in tonight’s @MLBDraft recently caught up with Harold in Studio 21. pic.twitter.com/kCcZy8nc8u
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 17, 2022
