Barriga was far from a big-name addition as part of the D-backs’ 2022 international crop when he signed out of Mexico, but he placed himself on the map with a .380 OBP and 117 wRC+ over 42 games in the Dominican Summer League that summer. He moved stateside for 2023 but was limited to only 10 games in the Arizona Complex League before suffering a season-ending broken leg. The D-backs still started Barriga at DH in their Spring Breakout game back in March, and the 19-year-old looked solid despite the lost time in his ACL return, finishing with a .267/.362/.432 line, four homers and 12 steals in 46 games.
Barriga measures in at just 5-foot-9, but he’s considered a sneaky athlete, especially by catching standards. He’s an average runner capable of pushing for stolen bases, and that athleticism helps him move behind the plate when it comes to blocking. Arizona officials have said they’re also impressed by the way he’s taken to calling games and expressing leadership behind the plate at such a young age, and his arm strength has led to monster caught-stealing rates. However because of his size, Barriga doesn’t make for a huge target back there and will likely face some questions about his work there so long as he remains a prospect.
Offensively, the right-handed slugger has done a nice job early of keeping strikeouts in check, and he’ll work enough walks to maintain a solid OBP. While he started to string together more homers and doubles in 2024, his power still checks in well-below-average. The overall package is there for a starting catcher, but bigger tests await over longer samples in full-season ball in 2025 and beyond.
