The Pittsburgh Pirates are fleshing out what their roster is going to look like when the regular season rolls around, and one pitcher could find himself on the final roster after Spring Training. Lefty Hunter Barco might be on the outside looking in right now, but he could end up being the last man in the rotation before too long.
First of all, Barco is currently the only left-handed starter on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster. Now while that alone won’t be enough for him to crack a spot on the roster, it does add a lot of value to a group that is lacking a lefty. Barco saw some time out of the bullpen in 2025 and was a great set up man, but even just that small sample size would suggest that he’s too talented to be relegated to pitching in relief long term. The 25-year-old has looked like a bonafide starter in his three years in the Minor Leagues, and 2026 may finally be when he gets to put those talents to use in Pittsburgh full time.
Barco was also able to add three pitches to his arsenal this offseason. The former Florida Gator added a sweeper, sinker and a changeup to his repertoire to go along with his four-seam fastball, slider and splitter. That’s a heck of a workload to take on in one offseason, especially for a player fighting for a big league roster spot but to this point Barco has impressed. In Spring Training Barco has nine strikeouts across 7.1 innings pitched. In his three appearances (two starts) he has an ERA of 3.68 with one win on his record.
2025 was a huge breakout year for Barco. Despite being drafted 44th overall in 2022, Barco’s professional career was derailed early after being out in 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Although it took some time for him to finally get on the field, once he did it was very strong especially considering the injury history. Last season between Altoona and Indianapolis, Barco posted a 2.81 ERA across 99 innings. He finished the season with a 4-1 record in the minors with 116 strikeouts.
Considering Barco only had a three pitch mix a season ago those marks are pretty impressive. Now with the added pitches in his bag he’s primed to have a big 2026. Right now veteran José Urquidy is projected to have that final spot in the Pirates’ rotation, but Barco is having a significantly better Spring and could also impress in the upcoming Spring Breakout Series. Barco will need to work on some control issues that come with his atypical delivery, as he walked 49 batters last season. Still though his funky delivery is part of what makes him so affective on the mound, and even if he doesn’t start his season in Pittsburgh, there’s a very good chance he sees some significant time in the majors at some point this year.
Barco is currently ranked as the fifth best prospect in the Pirates’ system and the 96th ranked prospect in baseball.
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