One of Evansville, Indiana's own Aaron Barrett was names Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America. Baseball America listed their Managers of the Year for all levels of the minor leagues and Aaron was one of the winners for the Low-A level. Barrett is a first year manager for the Philadelphia Phillies Clearwater team. He replaced Marty Malloy who was the Clearwater Threshers manager since 2021. Barrett has been coaching in the Phillies farm system since he retired from professional baseball in 2022 when he was playing for the the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs of the Phillies. He finished the 2022 season as the bullpen coach of the Iron Pigs and then served as Philadelphia's Minor League Rehab Pitching Coordinator. He got his first managerial job in his fifth year in the Phillies farm system after playing four years in the Major Leagues with the Washington Nationals.
Aaron Barrett started his high school baseball journey playing for coach Jason Engelbrecht at Evansville Central. He was a 3 year varsity starter for the Bears and was drafted in 2006 by the LA Dodgers, but elected to attend Wabash Valley JC instead. After two years at Wabash Valley he was again drafted by the Minnesota Twins but decided to attend Ole Miss and team up with fellow Hoosier, former Brownsburg great Lance Lynn. After Barrett's junior year he was drafted by the Texas Rangers, but went back to Ole Miss for his senior year and was then drafted in the 9th round by the Washington Nationals.
Trivia answer: Aaron Barrett is the only professional baseball player drafted 4 times.
Barrett made his MLB debut for the Nationals on Opening Day 2014 against the Mets, earning the win in relief. He posted a 2.66 ERA in 50 appearances, striking out 49 batters in 40 2/3 innings. Even though the "Bear" (Barrett's nickname) played four years in the majors it wasn't an easy journey. In fact, what he is best known for is his comeback story.
Barrett underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow in September 2015. While rehabbing in a simulated game in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 23, 2016, Barrett fractured the humerus bone — the bone located between the elbow joint and the shoulder — in his right arm. Witnesses told the Washington Post that it sounded like a gunshot went off. His arm essentially had snapped in half. Barrett had two plates and 16 screws embedded to repair his arm in surgery performed by the famed Dr. James Andrews, who compared it to a traumatic car accident. Hardly anyone has recovered from such a debilitating injury.
But not many have Barrett's inner strength. Climbing back up the ladder after an agonizing three-year rehab, he returned to the mound in 2018 and pitched well enough at Double-A Harrisburg to be called up by the Nationals. Andrews described Barrett's recovery and subsequent return to pro ball as a "miracle."
Barrett, who returned to action on Sept. 7, 2019, pitched a scoreless inning against the host Atlanta Braves. It had been 1,495 days between major league appearances.
Left off the Nationals’ playoff roster, Barrett was asked to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in the National League Wild Card game. Because he was a member of Washington’s 40-man roster, he was officially considered a member of the World Series championship team.
Barrett, whose last MLB appearance for the Nats was Sept. 18, 2020, opted to sign a free-agent contract with the Phillies’ organization in. He had a 1-1 record with a 12.83 ERA for Lehigh Valley in 15 games. Barrett hung ‘em up after a 1-2-3 first inning, including a strikeout, for Lehigh Valley against the Rochester Red Wings on July 4th, 2022.
In his four-year MLB career, Barrett was 6-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 95 appearances. He struck out 86 in 74 innings.
