Hunter Barco's brief, scoreless debut hinted at potential. Now, he battles for a Pittsburgh Pirates' rotation spot.
Three innings is a small sample size.
However, it was large enough to allow Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco to believe he could get major-league hitters out. It was also enough to reinforce the Pirates’ belief in the 25-year-old’s potential.
Barco was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis during the final week of last season to make his major-league debut. He pitched twice in relief and worked a total of three scoreless innings against the postseason-bound Reds in Cincinnati.
“It was great,” Barco recalled to Pirates Roundtable at spring training in Bradenton, Fla. “It’s what you dream about from the time you’re a kid. It was nice to have some success and to kind of get my feet wet in the major leagues.”
This spring, Barco is trying to jump off the high dive. He is competing for one open spot in the starting rotation with veteran right-handers Jose Urquidy and Mike Clevinger, reliever Carmen Mlodzinski, and fellow prospect Thomas Harrington.
Barco has pitched twice in Grapefruit League play and has yet to allow a hit in 4 1/3 innings. He has been charged with an unearned run. His five walks are troublesome, but Barco also has six strikeouts.
Barco made a strong impression this past Sunday when he started and worked three scoreless and hitless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pirates manager Don Kelly liked what he saw of Barco last September and thought the pitcher ranked as the organization’s No. 9 prospect, reported to spring training ready to compete for a spot on the big-league roster.
“He was throwing the ball really well in his first couple of sides,” Kelly said. “He looked as good as any of our pitchers.”
Barco had a good workout partner during the winter in Pirates ace Paul Skenes. The 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner invited Baro to train with him in Jupiter, Fla.
Barco was the Pirates’ second-round draft pick in 2022 from the University of Florida. The Pirates chose Skenes first overall in 2023 from LSU.
“Paul and I have been friends ever since we met after he got drafted,” Skenes said. “He’s been very supportive of me, and it’s great to be able to be around the best pitcher in baseball and see how he goes about his business.”