Barrero's talent remains tantalizing, but will he hit?

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. ¨C With a chiseled, 6-foot-4 frame, silky smooth agility and a smile so bright it seems to be powered by electricity, Cardinals infielder/outfielder Jose Barrero certainly looks the part of a multi-time All-Star capable of accomplishing great things on a baseball diamond.

Occasionally, Barrero¡¯s seemingly enormous potential pops, and he can leave witnesses breathless with the ease with which he makes the difficult look routine. There was the nifty sliding catch as a right fielder he made earlier in Spring Training, or the time he used his long, loping strides to easily swipe second base against the Astros on Friday. On Saturday, he stunned again as a shortstop by gracefully charging a slow grounder, throwing from an off-balance position and nabbing Nationals speedster Drew Millas.

Barrero¡¯s breathtaking blend of speed, strength and style was dynamic enough that the Reds signed him to a $5 million bonus in 2017. Those skills helped him skyrocket up prospect boards and ultimately to No. 6 in the Cincinnati organization before getting his first MLB Spring Training invite in 2020. They also lured in the Rangers, who quickly snatched up Barrero when the Reds waived him in ¡®23.

The problem, however, is that Barrero has never hit enough to match the hopes teams have had for him as someone who excels at every other aspect of the game.

The Cardinals, a team that greatly values positional versatility among bench players, is the latest MLB team to try to find some measure of success with the 26-year-old Barrero, who is hoping to stick as a speedy outfielder, an opportunistic pinch-runner or a sure-handed infielder. The burning question, of course, is whether the smiling, gliding and strapping Barrero will make enough contact at the plate to make the Opening Day roster.

¡°Everybody has been intrigued by him ¨C Cincinnati and us ¨C because the guy is an incredible athlete,¡± said manager Oliver Marmol, who had Barrero at shortstop on Saturday when the Cardinals defeated the Nats, 5-3, at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. ¡°Now, it¡¯s just about him putting it together and being consistent with the skill set that he has. It¡¯s our job to try and get him to do that.¡±

The Cardinals have tried to keep Barrero on a static schedule throughout Spring Training in hopes that will allow him to find success. Infield coach Stubby Clapp, who has playfully nicknamed Barrero ¡°Rick James¡± because of his curly hair and magnetic smile, feeds the shortstop dozens of ground balls every morning before drills start. Coach Jon Jay has drilled with him in the outfield. And at the plate, new hitting coach Brant Brown has worked with Barrero to try to get him to be more selective while also not lunging at pitches.

¡°I¡¯ve been working hard with Brownie on everything, and he¡¯s really helped me a lot,¡± said Barrero, who grounded out twice in Saturday¡¯s win and is 3-for-16 (.188) with two home runs and five RBIs in 11 games. ¡°[Brown] is helping me make good decisions, and I really feel like it¡¯s coming for me.¡±

Teams have been waiting for years for hitting to come to Barrero, who is a career .186 hitter in 139 MLB games ¨C all with the Reds. He sent hearts racing in 2020 when he smashed four Spring Training homers and showed off some slick fielding at shortstop. However, Barrero has never hit higher than .218 (¡®23) at the MLB level, and two of his four career homers came in one game against the Brewers on Aug. 6, 2022.

To be fair, Barrero was forced to endure the trauma of losing his mother, Tania, in 2021 following a bout with the COVID-19 virus. At that time, he changed his last name ¨C originally Garcia Barrero ¨C to just Barrero to honor his mother¡¯s memory. Her name is stitched on Barrero¡¯s glove, and he can¡¯t help but flash a wide, toothy smile when he thinks of her.

¡°She was every time happy, she gave me peace every time and she had such a great mentality,¡± Barrero said. ¡°My mother always told me, ¡®Never give up.¡¯¡±

If Barrero doesn¡¯t make the Cardinals ¨C it will likely come down to him or Jos¨¦ Ferm¨ªn for a final roster spot ¨C will teams give up on the tease of his talent? Marmol, for one, hopes that Barrero can make enough contact and hit enough line drives to give himself a chance to make the team, because the Cardinals continue to be intrigued by his defensive possibilities.

¡°He did such a nice job today,¡± Marmol raved. ¡°He didn¡¯t even have the handle on one of those [grounders], but he changed his footwork and threw on the run. He looks natural over there [at shortstop]. You put him in right and he looks natural there, too. So from a super-utility standpoint, he¡¯s shown a lot.¡±