Michael Patrick Barrett (born October 22, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player and current catching coordinator for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as a catcher and started his professional career with the Montreal Expos at age 18.Baseball Almanac, Michael Barrett Baseball Stats, baseball-almanac.com, Retrieved on June 4, 2007. Barrett spent three years playing in Minor League Baseball as a shortstop and catcher.The Baseball Cube, Michael Barrett Baseball Statistics, Retrieved on June 20, 2007. He played with the Honolulu Sharks, West Palm Beach Expos, and Delmarva Shorebirds, and was elected to two Minor League All-Star games. Barrett made his MLB debut in as a third baseman, but was shortly outrighted to the minor leagues to play with the Harrisburg Senators for a season.The Official Site of The Chicago Cubs, Biography and Career Highlights: Michael Barrett, mlb.com, Retrieved on June 4, 2007.
Upon Barrett's return to MLB in , he ranked among the top offensive rookies in various statistical categories. Barrett failed to stay healthy during the season, which prompted the Expos to trade him to the Oakland Athletics, who in turn, traded him to the Chicago Cubs. During his tenure with the Cubs, Barrett won a Silver Slugger Award in , and recorded near career-high statistics in season. The Cubs traded Barrett to the San Diego Padres in June of .Associated Press, Cubs, Padres Swap Barrett, 2 Players (June 21, 2007), Chattanooga Times Free Press, Retrieved on June 22, 2007. Barrett sustained two major injuries, which caused him to miss 115 games with the Padres, and was subsequently released after the season. Barrett attempted to make a comeback with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, but continued to struggle with injury issues, which led to his release in the subsequent offseason. He spent the second half of the 2010 season in the New York Mets minor league system. Barrett was also a volunteer assistant coach for the baseball team at the University of North Georgia.
Early years Barrett was born in Atlanta. He attended Pace Academy, where he excelled in baseball."Barrett passes on Clemson, signs with Expos", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 10, 1995. Accessed November 9, 2007. "For most folks, the entire experience might be overwhelming, but when former Pace Academy shortstop Michael Barrett signed a professional contract Friday with the Montreal Expos, it seemed to his family like little more than the ordinary course of business." During his senior year, Barrett won Atlanta's Gatorade's Player of the Year, and was named to the All-USA High School and First Team High School All-Americans All-star teams. He was considered to be one of the top draft prospects that year, and declared eligibility for the upcoming Major League Baseball draft shortly after graduating from high school.Fitt, Aaron, Top Ten Prospects: Washington Nationals (January 4, 2005), Baseball America, Retrieved on June 20, 2007. Barrett initially signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at Clemson. The Montreal Expos selected Barrett as the 28th overall selection in the 1995 draft.Baseball-Reference.com, Michael Barrett Statistics, Retrieved on June 4, 2007. He spent the next three years in the minors, playing in the Gulf Coast, South Atlantic, Hawaii Winter Baseball, and Florida State Leagues, during which he was converted from a shortstop to a catcher. His Minor League Baseball career was highlighted in , when he scored 57 runs and recorded 113 hits as a member of the Delmarva Shorebirds.
Professional career
Montreal Expos (1998–2003) The Expos called Barrett up to MLB on September 19, 1998, in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies as a third baseman. He managed to hit a home run and a single in the game. After only playing eight games as an Expo, Barrett was sent to play for the Harrisburg Senators, a Class AA team from the Eastern League. He recorded 145 hits, 78 runs, 19 home runs, and 87 RBI en route to winning the Double-A All-Star Catcher and Montreal Expos Minor League Player of the Year awards. His performance allowed him to claim a spot on the Expos' starting roster during the 1999 season. During his first full season, Barrett had 59 starts as a catcher, 62 as a third-baseman, and six as shortstop. He also led all National League rookies with 32 doubles, while ranking as one of top statistical tiers in runs, hits, and runs batted in amongst all other rookies.
Barrett struggled to perform consistently in the season. He committed 15 errors during the course of the season, resulting in a .891 fielding percentage. In addition, he hit for only a .214 batting average, with a .288 slugging percentage. These difficulties combined to prompt the Expos to send him to the minors again. After playing 30 games with the Ottawa Lynx of the International League, Barrett returned to the major leagues before 2001. He was named onto the team's opening day lineup, and eventually earned a full-time spot on the team. He was one of the Expos' most consistent hitters,Baseball-Reference.com, 2001 Montreal Expos Statistics and Roster, Retrieved on June 23, 2007. and posted career high statistics that season; leading all National League catchers with 33 doubles. Barrett also managed to improve his defensive performance by raising his fielding percentage to .993, while committing only seven errors.
He also saw success during the season. Barrett started the season by hitting home runs in the first two games of the season. He would go on to have one of his best months in the Majors, scoring with four home runs, 17 RBI, eight doubles, and scored 10 runs.Baseball-Reference.com, 2002 Montreal Expos Statistics and Roster, Retrieved on June 27, 2007. The League recognized his efforts, and named Barrett the "National League co-Player of the Week" for the second week of April after he recorded a franchise record 11 RBI within two games. Barrett finished the season with mixed results. While increasing his number of stolen bases and batting and slugging percentage, he failed to record as many runs, hits, and RBI, as he did in the previous season. He committed nine errors, which resulted in a lower fielding percentage, but excelled at throwing out base runners.
Barrett missed almost half of the 2003 on account of three injuries. He suffered the first during a game against the Colorado Rockies, during which one of Steve Reed's pitches accidentally hit and bruised Barrett's index finger. During this period, Barrett began to complain about tightness in his right hip flexor. This ailment took its toll on Barrett during a game against the Atlanta Braves, when he strained the muscles while taking a checked swing. The Expos sent Barrett on a rehabilitation assignment to play with the Edmonton Trappers, a AAA team from the Pacific Coast League. He only managed to play two games with team before fracturing his index finger on August 9.CBC Sports, Barrett back behind plate for Expos (September 10, 2003), cbc.ca, Retrieved on July 15, 2007. Barrett returned to the major leagues on September 12, although the Expos were already out of playoff contention.Baseball-Reference.com, 2003 Montreal Expos Statistics and Roster, Retrieved on July 15, 2007.
Chicago Cubs (2004–2007) Barrett's long tenure with the Expos ended in December 2003. The team traded Barrett to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Brett Price.Shea, John, A's add catcher Barrett, for now (December 16, 2003), San Francisco Chronicle, Retrieved on August 9, 2007. The Athletics then traded Barrett to the Chicago Cubs for Damian Miller, only days after the initial transaction.Armour, Nancy, Cubs reach deal with Barrett, trade Miller to Oakland (December 21, 2003), USA Today, Retrieved on August 9, 2007. Barrett, who had just spent six days with three teams, shortly signed a one-year contract with the Cubs, which was worth nearly $1.55 million.Associated Press, Barrett accepts one-year deal, (December 21, 2003), espn.com, Retrieved on June 6, 2007. He first practiced with the Cubs during their annual spring training sessions, and reported receiving a cold reception from teammates.De Luca, Chris, Catching flak: Barrett timeline (June 21, 2007), Chicago Sun-Times, Retrieved on August 9, 2007. Barrett went on to become one of their top hitters during the 2004 season. He played a crucial role in their wild card chase; Barrett maintained a .287 batting average and hit 16 home runs and 65 RBI during the 2004 season. He finished the season as one of the league's top defensive catchers (fielding at a .994 clip with six errors), and led the Cubs in triples and sacrifice flies.Baseball-Reference.com, 2004 Chicago Cubs Statistics and Roster, Retrieved on June 23, 2007.Yahoo! Sports, Michael Barrett – San Diego Padres – Game Log, Retrieved on August 9, 2007. Barrett was involved in two incidents with Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt during the 2004 season. On August 22, Oswalt beaned Barrett. Barrett, believing the pitch was a reaction to a three-run home run that Aramis Ramírez had previously hit, confronted Oswalt, and prompted both teams to take the field. Oswalt was ejected from the game, as the Astros went on to lose 11–6.Associated Press, Teams touchy after incident Sunday, (August 27, 2004), espn.com, Retrieved on June 2, 2007. Five days later, during another Cubs-Astros game, Barrett mouthed off to Oswalt and attempted to confront him. The game's umpires restrained the two before a fight could break out, but not before both benches cleared out. Oswalt remained in the game, and defeated the Cubs 15–7.Carpenter, Dave, Houston 15, Chi Cubs 7 (August 27, 2004), Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on August 14, 2007. In a post-game press conference, Barrett condemned Oswalt's actions, and stated, "We're going to see him again."
Barrett continued to be one of the Cubs’ most consistent hitters in the 2005 season. He batted over .300 in three months of the season, and finished with 16 home runs, 32 doubles, and 61 RBI.Baseball-Reference.com, 2005 Chicago Cubs Statistics and Roster, Retrieved on August 12, 2007. Although he failed to meet and surpass the same statistical figures in the previous season, Barrett received a Silver Slugger Award for his efforts. Additionally, Barrett was selected to represent the United States in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He played in four games, and recorded one run batted in.WorldBaseballClassic.com, ’06 World Baseball Classics Statistics, Retrieved on August 12, 2007.