The 2019 season got off to a tough start for Franklin Barreto. After Matt Olson’s injury in March, it briefly looked like Barreto might make the MLB squad for the Oakland A’s home opener, but then the team acquired veteran Kendrys Morales at the last moment to fill Olson’s spot. Instead, it was back to Triple-A for Barreto, and to make matters worse he began the year on a slump at the plate.
Through his first 25 games this season, Barreto batted .191 with a 31% strikeout rate and only two homers. The strikeouts, one of the key flaws blocking his move up to the majors, were still there in full force, and to make it worse, the power he’d begun to flash in 2018 had gone missing.