DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
As he watched younger brother and UTRGV signee Santana get closer to his goal of winning a state championship, Tres Barrera’s ultimate dream come true.
The Washington Nationals drafted the former Sharyland High star and University of Texas junior with the 184th pick in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday afternoon. Barrera found out while watching his brother’s San Antonio Johnson team, for which his father Felipe is also a coach for, beat Amarillo Sandies in the Class 6A state semifinals to advance to today’s final against Dallas Jesuit in Round Rock.
Barrera can return to Texas for his senior season or sign with the Nationals. His messages on social media, however, implied his days as a Longhorn are over.
A couple hours after he was drafted, Barrera posted on Instagram: “Words can not describe the emotions running through me at the moment. Want to thank the @nationals for the great opportunity! It has been a life long dream to get a chance to play professional baseball. Would also like to thank my family, coaches, fans and University of Texas for leading me up to this point in my life. The best is yet to come and once again HOOK ‘em forever!”
The 6-foot, 215-pound Barrera, 21, is listed as a catcher in Major League Baseball’s system, though he split time between backstop and the corner infield positions the last two seasons for Texas. Barrera was the everyday catcher on the Longhorns’ 2014 College World Series team as a freshman.
Barrera’s prospect evaluation on MLB.com reads: “Barrera’s most impressive tool is his plus raw right-handed power, which he generates with a combination of bat speed and strength. The question is how much he’ll be able to tap into that pop in pro ball because he often tries to do too much at the plate and pull every pitch out of the park. He has hit .169 with wood bats in two summers in the Cape Cod League and will have to tone down his approach to handle pro pitching. Texas has played Barrera on the infield corners more because of team need than any lack of ability at catcher. His receiving and blocking skills are fine, and he has a solid, accurate arm. Though he’s a bottom-of-the-scale runner, he moves well enough behind the plate.”
Moments after he was drafted, Barrera tweeted: “Want to thank the Washington Nationals for the great opportunity! It’s only the beginning! Proud to be apart of the D.C family.”
The financial value for the slot that Barrera was taken at is $265,400. The Nationals have a $7.635 million bonus pool to use on all of their draft picks this week, so it’s possible Barrera could make more than what his slot accounts for.
In 179 games for Texas, 177 as a starter, Barrera hit .279 with 106 RBIs and 20 home runs. He had a .990 fielding percentage and 11 errors, eight of which came during his freshman campaign.
Barrera was born in Eagle Pass and moved to the Rio Grande Valley when he was 10 years old. He played three years under former Sharyland High coach Barton Bickerton, where he was named a Lousiville Slugger first team All-American catcher as a senior.
For his Rattlers career, Barrera hit .452 with 22 home runs.