Player Name: Joe Barbieri
Position: RHP
School: Ward Melville
Barbieri is a senior RHP for Ward Melville. He is committed to Brockport State.He has won seven games through May 23.
He begins his windup with a very small step back with his hands held head high as he prepares to get into his leg kick. He has a bit of a unique balance position. His leg kick is only about belt high and his back leg is bent the entire time as opposed to staying firm like most pitchers. His front is parallel to the ground. Since his back leg is bent during the balance position, he gets very good drive from his back side. His stride is about the length of his height and he lands on line with home plate. His arm angle is high 3/4, he gets good extension and he finishes balanced towards home plate.
Barbieri has a three-pitch mix–fastball, curve, change. He worked primarily with a fastball-curve mix in his May 23 start. He very rarely used the change. His fastball was sitting in the low 80s.
He struck out seven batters and walked only one. He often got ahead of batters with a first-pitch fastball then used his curve. In my opinion, it was a tendency but the opposition had a hard time laying off his curve in the dirt. He threw 93 pitches and threw 67 percent of those for strikes.
The only real threat he was in was during the fifth inning when an error and a single put the go-ahead run in scoring position for the cleanup hitter but he fly out to center on the first pitch.
Barbieri throws strikes and he’s aggressive. He got ahead of most batters so they started swinging on the first pitch. This put them in position to fall victim to his breaking ball.
He held on runners pretty well. There were no stolen bases and he didn’t get any chances on comebackers to the mound.
He is certainly a collegiate-caliber pitcher, he could probably pitch for a Division-II team right now but he elected to pitch in the SUNYAC for Brockport.
