Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40 

Auburn features three pitchers who could get drafted in the first six or seven rounds, and Barnett has better pure stuff than Trace Bright and Blake Burkhalter. He also never nailed down a regular turn in the Tigers' Southeastern Conference rotation in three college seasons, making him an enigma to scouts. Some believe he could succeed as a starter in pro ball, while others think he's destined for the bullpen. 

Barnett's best pitch is an 82-85 mph slider that touches 87 with plenty of depth. His fastball sits at 93-96 mph and reaches 98, though it lacks life and gets whacked when he doesn't locate it well. He also employs a mid-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup but can struggle to land them in the zone. 

When his pitches are at their best, Barnett can display a plus fastball and slider and a solid curveball and changeup. While he made some progress in 2022, he never has displayed consistency with his stuff and strikes, and his long arm action costs him deception and command. He'll probably get the chance to start at the next level but most likely will wind up as a fastball/slider reliever. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

After not being able to lock down a regular turn in Auburn’s rotation, Barnett finished his first professional season as the Royals’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2023. The Georgia native was taken in the third round of the 2022 Draft and made his pro debut without allowing a hit over seven innings at Single-A. Barnett split ‘23 between High-A Quad Cities (16 starts) and Double-A Northwest Arkansas (seven starts) and finished with a 3.30 ERA across 114 2/3 innings with a 28.8 percent strikeout rate and a 10.5 percent walk rate, while batters hit just .208 against him. He continued to miss bats with a return to Double-A this year while being more hittable, when he was part of the package sent to the A’s in the Lucas Erceg deal at the Trade Deadline.

Barnett has gotten things done in the past mainly with his above-average fastball and changeup, with his heater sitting mid 90s and reaching 99 mph, though this year he sat 94 mph and topped out at 96. He started going to his mid-80s slider (which features good bite) more and he did start to get more separation velocity-wise with his upper-70s curve. He still used his changeup, sitting around 87-88 mph, effectively at times.

The 6-foot right-hander has shown an understanding of how to get himself back in counts using his breaking stuff to do so. He throws strikes but has fringe-average control, with a goal of being more precise in the zone as he faces tougher hitters. Barnett throws from a three-quarters arm slot and sometimes shows long arm action but is otherwise clean. He gets high marks for his mentality on the mound, a bulldog personality who is cerebral in how he does it, with a chance to start long-term.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Barnett never nailed down a regular turn in Auburn’s SEC rotation in his three seasons on campus, but his stuff always impressed scouts throughout his collegiate career. That included Royals evaluators, and the club took the Georgia native in the third round after he posted a 4.38 ERA in 19 games (14 starts) for the Tigers in 2022, with 83 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings. Barnett made his pro debut first with an inning in the Arizona Complex League and then seven innings in Single-A and didn’t allow a hit. He walked one and struck out 12 in total, leaving a good first impression with the organization.

Barnett has crisp stuff and a clean delivery. His fastball is above average and sits in the mid-90s, but he can reach 98 mph when he’s really firing it. It’s a fairly straight pitch, so he’ll need to locate it so that it doesn’t get hit around. His best secondary pitch is a 85-87 mph slider with good bite, and it can be above average with more development. Barnett gets lefties out with an average changeup, and he sometimes utilizes his curveball but will need to work on that pitch if he continues to start.

Barnett is a wild card when it comes to starting or relieving, with scouts differing on the projection. He's done a nice job of ironing out previous control issues at High-A Quad Cities in 2023, and as a result, he joined Double-A Northwest Arkansas in August of his first full season. That should quite some concerns about his inability to start, but the upper levels will provide the best test of those abilities.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40 

Auburn features three pitchers who could get drafted in the first six or seven rounds, and Barnett has better pure stuff than Trace Bright and Blake Burkhalter. He also never nailed down a regular turn in the Tigers' Southeastern Conference rotation in three college seasons, making him an enigma to scouts. Some believed he could succeed as a starter in pro ball, while others thought he'd be destined for the bullpen. It’ll be on Kansas City to figure that out after the organization took him in the third round in July.

Barnett's best pitch is an 82- to 85-mph slider that touches 87 with plenty of depth. His fastball sits at 93-96 mph and reaches 98, though it lacks life and gets whacked when he doesn't locate it well. He also employs a mid-70s downer curveball and a mid-80s changeup, but can struggle to land them in the zone. 

When his pitches are at their best, Barnett can display a plus fastball and slider and a solid curveball and changeup. While he made some progress in 2022, he never has displayed consistency with his stuff and strikes, and his long arm action costs him deception and command. He'll get the chance to start at the next level but most likely will wind up as a fastball/slider reliever.

Awards

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/02/2024	Midland RockHounds activated RHP Mason Barnett.
	07/30/2024	Oakland Athletics traded RHP Lucas Erceg to Kansas City Royals for RHP Will Klein, RHP Mason Barnett and OF Jared Dickey.
	07/30/2024	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to Midland RockHounds.
	03/07/2024	Kansas City Royals Prospects activated RHP Mason Barnett.
	01/10/2024	Kansas City Royals invited non-roster RHP Mason Barnett to spring training.
	08/02/2023	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from Quad Cities River Bandits.
	04/05/2023	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to Quad Cities River Bandits from Columbia Fireflies.
	08/31/2022	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to Columbia Fireflies from ACL Royals.
	08/22/2022	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to ACL Royals from Royals Organization.
	08/16/2022	RHP Mason Barnett assigned to Royals Organization.
	07/24/2022	Kansas City Royals signed RHP Mason Barnett.
	06/10/2022	College Workout activated RHP Mason Barnett.
	06/10/2022	RHP Mason Barnett and assigned to College Workout.
	02/04/2022	RHP Mason Barnett and assigned to Auburn Tigers.