Prep Baseball Report

Most Viewed Profiles of 2021: No. 2 Brandon Barriera


Rocco Iervasi
Florida Director of Operations/Area Scout

With 2021 coming to a close, we continue our yearly tradition of highlighting the Top 10 most viewed PBR Profiles in the state of Florida. Each year, millions of PBR Profiles are viewed around the country by coaches, scouts, players, parents, and baseball fans. Over 354,000 profiles were viewed in just Florida alone in 2021. We will continue today by counting down the Top 10 most viewed profiles in the state. This data was collected through Google Analytics.

Continuing at No. 2 with 2022 LHP Brandon Barriera. Barriera is a Vanderbilt commit who attends American Heritage School in Plantation, FL. Outside of high school, Brandon plays travel ball for CBU. Barriera ranks No. 2 in the PBR Florida Class of 2022 Rankings and No. 4 Nationally. Barriera looks to be a top draft pick come the 2022 MLB Draft. In 2021, Brandon received 2,853 views on his PBR Profile.

No. 2 Brandon Barriera


Scouting Report

8/19/21

Barriera has a loose, live and athletic frame with a very quick arm out of a 3/4 slot. The ball comes out of his hand easily and gets on hitters quickly. The fastball was 94-96 mph with hard, late tail. He throws quality fastballs in the zone, pounding both sides of the plate with plus command. He gets tight spin on his slider at 81-83 (2600 rpm), which is very deceptive with late, hard diving action. The changeup has deception with good sink.

8/17/21

Barriera has been in the spotlight since his freshman year and showed well at the Florida Preseason Classic against a loaded IMG Academy lineup. He tossed three innings across two appearances at the PDP League, striking out four and allowing just one hit, which was a jam shot that just cleared the infield and erased via pickoff. He gets good angle to his fastball, which was up to 96 mph, and puts hitters away with a plus slider that has sharp, late break at 80-83. The changeup has deception with good sink and he commands all three pitches to both sides of the plate.

6/05/19

Barriera, the number two overall player in the 2022 rankings, got the start in the first game (8:30AM) for the Cannons Baseball American team, and while he wasn’t his sharpest self, he still showcased his elite stuff including a fastball that touched 89 mph. The wiry, long-limbed left-hander worked 85-87 with runners on base throughout, and was able to make big pitches, including multiple swings and misses on fastballs to get out of jams. The arm works freely through a medium-sized swing with quickness and normal effort out front, and it seems likely that he will add even more velocity in the future as his frame continues to fill out. His slider was seldom needed, but worked across the plate at 72-74 when he threw it with varying results.There is some late life to the fastball in the zone, and he throws each pitch with conviction, athletically working through a repeatable delivery. Cannons Baseball was not tested in the game, so it lacked some of the energy that might have helped elevate Barriera’s stuff. That stuff will likely play up much higher throughout the summer when he is sent to the mound in bigger games, and it will be paramount to follow the shape of the slider as he continues to craft it.

2/13/19

Uncommitted, currently one of the top prospects in the state and country, ranked No. 2 in Florida and No. 14 Overall. 6-foot, 155-pounds, highly athletic, strength throughout frame, muscular build, moves loosely, projectable. Arm action is short, circular on the back-side, arm speed is quick to a ¾ slot. Tall and fall delivery, sit on back-side, leads with hip, works online, lands square, finishes athletically. Fastball worked 86-88 with some run. Curveball, 68-69, 1/7 shape, depth, late bite. Changeup, fade and sink action, 73-74. High follow 2022 MLB Draft prospect.




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