Is Joe Barlow Good?
Yes. Joe Barlow is good with the impressions he had last season and the season before.
The flame-throwing righty has 14 strikeouts in nearly 10 innings of relief with a minuscule 0.93 ERA in just 11 games in the majors. And eight of those punchouts are on the same day!
Joe Barlow, the Texas Rangers’ reliever, has been putting out heat since his promotion to the major leagues.
Barlow has the stuff to be a strong big-league reliever, as seen by his career 2.64 MiLB ERA, which includes a 2.57 ERA in 2021 at AAA Round Rock.
The 26-year-old right-hander, a hard-thrower with a sinking slider, snatched the closer’s job with relative ease by August.
In that role, he excelled, making 11 saves in 12 chances. By the end of the 2021 season, Barlow had established himself as Chris Woodward’s most consistent reliever, with a 1.55 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 29 innings.
Because he isn’t a top prospect, the righty isn’t well-known among the fans, but now that he’s here, it’s time to pay attention to No. 68.
The Texas Rangers selected Barlow in the 2016 draft out of Utah, and he has a lifetime 12.8 K/9 percentage in the minors, which is fantastic.
That figure was 13.0 K/9 when he first entered the major leagues. At this level, that will very probably be a factor.
One flaw in the 25-year-game old’s is his tendency to walk. He’s already walked four batters in ten innings in the major leagues, and his career BB/9 was 5.8.
We’d like to see that number drop, but if he keeps working on his control, he should be able to maintain his dominance.