MLB DRAFT: Trojans' Barnett selected by Toronto in 34th round

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on June 13, 2015 11:28 PM

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By RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- Hunter Barnett won't forget that hot, steamy evening as he toed the rubber against Team USA last summer.

This year's No. 2 draft pick, LSU shortstop Alex Bregman, stepped into the batter's box.

Barnett retired him.

The next two batters, also first-round picks this season, took their hacks against the left-hander. They, too, returned to the dugout without reaching base.

"I knew I had a chance to make it a career (in baseball)," Barnett said of the three-up, three-down inning.

His realization came true this week. The University of Mount Olive junior was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 34th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball First-year Player Draft.

Barnett flew to Tampa, Fla., on Saturday morning to take a physical. He'll participate in a mini-camp and then discuss his future with the team's organization.

The destination could be and assignment with Bluefield (W. Va.) in the Appalachian Rookie League.

No terms of a deal were disclosed. Barnett jokingly said he could pay off his college debt and maybe possibly afford just a "cheeseburger and plane ticket" as he begins the next phase of his baseball career.

"There was a rumor that I'd get drafted this year, but I wasn't really sure. I didn't have a really strong year this year," Barnett said. "I was sitting around, waiting and hoping. They had called me the night before and said 'we may call you the day of the draft.'

"They called me. It's a dream come true."

Barnett is one of three UMO players selected in this year's draft along with outfielder Jason Morozowski and pitcher Gunnar Kines. The trio are the 34th, 35th and 36th players in UMO history to head to the professional ranks since 1987.

An Eastern Wayne alum, Barnett logged a 3-1 worksheet with 21 strikeouts in 231⁄3 during 17 mound appearances. He helped guide the Trojans to their 10th consecutive 30-win season and reach the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional for the sixth straight year. The Trojans (39-16) finished third.

His breakout campaign occurred last summer with the Fayetteville Swampdogs of the wooden-bat Coastal Plains League. Barnett went 2-0 with a 2.96 earned run average (ERA) and fanned 22 hitters in 24-plus innings.

"I threw really good all summer and when we played against Team USA, there were about 30 scouts there and I think that's when I got on the radar," Barnett said. "They liked my body frame and my arm."

Barnett didn't have any contact with MLB clubs until Scout Day at UMO in September. He began to receive a few letters, had some one-on-one conversations with scouts in head coach Carl Lancaster's office and most of stayed in touch with him throughout the spring.

The Blue Jays showed the most interest.

Once Barnett left UMO for the CPL last season, pitching coach Cody Jackson took the 6-foot-3, 203-pounder under his wing. The two worked diligently to tweak some of Barnett's mechanics and walked him through some mental aspects of the game which paid immediate dividends.

"He said 'you have the chance to play at the next level if you refine a few things,'" Barnett said. "After about five or six outings, I was throwing against some of the big boys and realized 'hey, I'm just as good as some of these boys are. I might have a chance one day.'"

A CPL press release stated that Barnett is one of 80 former and current league players to get selected in this year's draft. Five of Barnett's teammates also saw their name pop up on the MLB Draft tracker online.

The real test begins now.

Barnett throws in the high 80s to low 90s and has a variety of pitches in his arsenal. But he has to perfect each of them to succeed at the next level and advance through the Blue Jays' organization that includes teams in Vancouver, Michigan, Florida, New Hampshire and New York.

More out-spoken than a year ago, Barnett continues a long line of Wayne County players who spent time with either major or minor league clubs.

"It's been a dream ever since I was little, what I've always wanted to do (and) now that I'm there, I've got a chance to make run with it," Barnett said. "I really want to thank my parents because if it wasn't for their support and help over the years then none of this would have been possible."