One start removed from pitching seven no-hit innings for Class A Advanced St. Lucie, southpaw Andrew Barbosa followed it up with another great start upon his return to the Eastern League.
Barbosa fired eight scoreless innings of one-hit ball while striking out five on the day and walking two batters as Binghamton defeated Erie by a score of 8-1. It was Barbosa’s first start for the Mets’ Double-A club since May 18.
“It was awesome to be back,” Barbosa said. “I’ve missed these guys. They were all happy to get me back on the team and it’s just a great group of guys here. All of them congratulated me after the game. They were like, ‘Hey, it’s like you never left.’ That’s kind of how I wanted it to be like today — just come back and pick up where I left off.” (MiLB)
Barbosa has been all over the minor leagues this season, making appearances with four different levels. The majority of his time has been with the B-Mets in where he has compiled a 2-0 record to go along with a stellar 2.33 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, spanning over 38.2 innings.
Photo: Ed Delany
He has also been able to hold opposing batters to a .167 batting average, while striking out 36 for Binghamton. It has been a year that has brought great confidence to Barbosa and rightfully so.
“I felt I did pretty well on the season,” Barbosa said. “A lot of the outings were limited to pitch counts and shorter leashes, but I feel like I did well. I was just happy that I was able to end the season because I’ll be a free agent after this. I was just hoping to finish strong. Whether it’ll be the Mets or other teams — hopefully, the Mets — next year, I’m just glad I showed that I finished the season OK.”
Barbosa has proven to be a player the Mets should look to keep around as his stock continues to rise. At the age of 28, he is far from the youngest of guns in their minor league system but could certainly be useful to the big league club if he continues down the path he has in 2016.
