José Barrero

José Israel García Barrero
played as José García in 2020

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 175 lb.

• Debut August 27, 2020

• Born April 5, 1998 in Havana, Havana Cuba

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder José Barrero, who went under the name José García at the time, hit .382/.417/.500 for Cuba in the 2015 U-18 Baseball World Cup, making the All-Tournament team at 2B; like Cuba's other All-Star, OF Luis Robert, he later defected. He played for Industriales in the Cuban Serie Nacional in 2016-17 before defecting to the United States. He was signed by the Cincinnati Reds on June 10, 2017 and reached the majors in 2020 after having been the Reds' Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2019. That season, he hit .280/.343/.436 for the Daytona Tortugas, leading the Florida State League in doubles (37) and extra-base hits (45).

He made his major league debut with the Reds in 2020, playing 24 games and hitting .194. Early in the 2021 season, while he was back in the minors he made it known that he wanted to be called José Barrero going forward, in honor of his mother who had recently passed away from COVID-19. It was under that name that he was selected to play in the 2021 Futures Game, replacing an injured CJ Abrams on the National League roster.

Further Reading

• Mark Sheldon: "Prospect Garcia aiming high at Reds camp: SS up for challenge in making Opening Day roster; spring game lengths flexible", mlb.com, February 24, 2021. [1]

Related Sites

• Jose Barrero on mlb.com