Cincinnati gives the southpaw another chance.
Reds sign 3.58 ERA pitcher from Korea who once starred at Clemson originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Cincinnati Reds called up a left-handed pitcher to return a bit closer to home.
The southpaw Charlie Barnes spent the past four seasons pitching in Korea for the Lotte Giants, but he's returning to MLB-affiliated baseball.
Jon Morosi reports that the Reds and Barnes have agreed on a minor-league contract. He was released by Lotte in May after hurting his shoulder and presumably is healthy now to join the Cincinnati organization.
Barnes is originally from South Carolina, and he played college ball at Clemson.
The Minnesota Twins took him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft.
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He moved up the ladder in Minnesota's organization and made it to the majors in 2021, where he threw in nine games for the Twins. He had a 5.92 ERA in those 38 innings.
After that season, Barnes opted to head to Korea, where he put up a 3.58 ERA across four seasons and 94 starts with Lotte.
Now 29 years old, Barnes is giving another shot to making it back to MLB.
Baseball Savant does contain data of the type of pitcher Barnes was four seasons ago when he was with the Twins.
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At that time, he threw his sinker 43% of the time at about 90 miles per hour while mixing in a changeup and slider. His slider was by far his best pitch by run value, opponent average and whiff percentage.
The Reds likely saw something they liked in Barnes' performances in the KBO to believe they can unlock some ability out of him here. There are never too many lefty pitchers in an organization, either.
It's cool to see that Barnes is getting another chance, and now it'll be up to him to make the most of it.
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