Players / Player profile
PIT · P

Hunter Barco

Age 25 B/T L/L 6′4″, 229 lb USA MLB debut 2025
Pittsburgh org 40-man FV 45 · #11 in org
  • Winter Plan on the 40-man; opens 2027 in the minors
Keystone Stuff 115 351 pitches · no pct under 500
2026 fWAR −0.5
Projected 2027 WAR 0.0 Keystone Marcel+ at 39 IP

Development · trends & plan

Tracked levels only. Monthly values; gaps mark the offseason. The number beside each line is its last month, with that month’s sample (faded under 50 PA or 150 pitches), not the season.

Trends · MLB

Fastball velo 93.0 mph Aug ’26 · 47 pitches Sep ’25 – Aug ’26
Stuff 106 Aug ’26 · 47 pitches Sep ’25 – Aug ’26
Location 106 Aug ’26 · 47 pitches Sep ’25 – Aug ’26
Whiff rate 15% Aug ’26 · 47 pitches Sep ’25 – Aug ’26
Zone rate 45% Aug ’26 · 47 pitches Sep ’25 – Aug ’26
Walk rate 8.3% Aug ’26 · 12 PA Sep ’25 – Aug ’26

Pitching · 2026

351 pitches: percentiles need 500+, so values only

Keystone Stuff 115 Keystone Stuff: 115
Keystone Location 89 Keystone Location: 89
Keystone Pitching 99 Keystone Pitching: 99
Run value (xRV) −0.94 Run value (xRV): −0.94
Strikeout % 16.1% Strikeout %: 16.1%
Walk % 14.9% Walk %: 14.9%
Whiff % 16.3% Whiff %: 16.3%
Chase % 19.5% Chase %: 19.5%
Fastball velo 93.9 Fastball velo: 93.9
Extension 6.3 ft Extension: 6.3 ft
17.2 IP7.64 ERA7.01 FIP 23° arm

Arsenal & Pitch Lab

Movement normalized to arm side · Keystone Stuff by pitch

Stuff landscape
−20−20−10−100010102020← Glove sideArm side →Rise (IVB, in) →4SSLSICHSTFS
LHP · arm angle 23° · how to read
PitchUseVeloIVBHBStuffLocWhiffxRV/100
Four-seam37% use37%94.112.4+14.411311015%−1.65
Slider23% use23%82.4−3.5−2.31147117%−0.83
Sinker20% use20%93.57.4+16.510910410%+0.32
Changeup9% use9%85.86.3+16.6895522%−1.87
Sweeper7% use7%82.6−2.6−12.01169727%+2.08
Splitter4% use4%85.01.2+6.9968333%−4.21

Too few pitches to judge the mix: 351 in 2026, and the mix and design checks need 400.

Too few pitches to judge his mix: the Pitch Lab needs 400+ (he threw 351 in 2026), so no mix change or pitch idea is tested for him.

Most similar pitchers

Pitches like Barco: same hand, shape, slot and mix

SimilarityPlayerStuff’26 WAR’27 proj2027
38Nick Lodolo CIN · ’98102−0.11.2Arb
35Justin Wrobleski LAD · ’001051.91.4Pre-arb
33Jacob Lopez ATH · ’981090.81.1Pre-arb
33Noah Schultz CWS · ’031050.30.7—
31Sean Manaea NYM · ’921101.00.7Signed $25.0M

Same-handed pitchers nearest on fastball velocity and shape, arm angle, extension, pitch mix, secondary shapes, Stuff, whiff rate and workload. 2026 regulars only.

Pitch locations · 2026

Where each pitch finishes, by batter side

Four-seam 36%
45% zone
Slider 24%
36% zone
Sinker 19%
54% zone

Where each pitch finishes, catcher’s view. The bar marks the batter’s side; the box is an average strike zone. Pitches with 40+ thrown to this side.

Contract & projection

Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR

2027 0.0 WAR Pre-arb (est.) $780K*
2028 0.0 WAR Pre-arb (est.) $803K*
2029 0.0 WAR Arbitration (est.) $1.2M*
2030 0.0 WAR Arbitration (est.) $1.3M*

* Estimated: RosterResource has no contract row for him, so control through 2031 estimated from his MLB debut (2025-09-23): six years of service at the earliest; he isn’t in the contract data, and time in the minors would add seasons; pre-arbitration years at the minimum, arbitration years from Keystone’s arbitration model. Contract Studio →

Minor leagues

MLB Stats API · public box-score data

SeasonLevelLevelTeamAgeGPA / IPPA / IP ·Line
2026AAAAAAIndianapolis Indians252178.1 IP 78.1 IP · 3.79 ERA · 22.5% K · 11.5% BB
2026ROKROKFCL Pirates2511.2 IP 1.2 IP · 5.40 ERA · 11.1% K · 11.1% BB
2025AAAAAltoona Curve24625.2 IP 25.2 IP · 0.00 ERA · 36.2% K · 7.4% BB
2025AAAAAAIndianapolis Indians242173.2 IP 73.2 IP · 3.79 ERA · 25.4% K · 13.0% BB

Prospect Pipeline: Perf+ 98 over his 2026 season (364 BF, mostly AAA), 2.0 years younger than his level; trend −6.7 since 2025 (inside the year-to-year noise). Tag: On track. MiLB Stuff 99 on 1,380 tracked AAA pitches. Prospects →

FanGraphs: FV 45 · ETA 2026. Public pitch tracking exists only at Triple-A and some Florida State League parks; where he has it, the development panel above shows it.

Keystone is an independent portfolio project. It is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or any club. Data: MLB Stats API, Baseball Savant, FanGraphs. Used under their terms for individual, non-commercial use.