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Junior college commit Matt Barr MLB selected by Twins in fifth round

On3 imageby: Eric Cain07/14/25_Cainer
Tennessee baseball commit Matt Bar. Credit (Matt Barr Instagram)
Tennessee baseball commit Matt Bar. Credit (Matt Barr Instagram)

Tennessee junior college commit Matt Barr, a right-handed pitcher from SUNY Niagara, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round with the No. 149 overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. The hurler was considered a serious draft risk throughout the process.    

As a freshman for the Thunder Wolves this past spring, the hurler started all 10 of the games he appeared in, standing out with a 10-0 record and a 1.74 ERA across 57 innings pitched. He struck out 94 batters, walked 21 and owned a WHIP of 0.75. He allowed just one extra-base hit (double) of the 22 hits total he surrendered on the campaign.  

Barr is from Cheektowaga, NY where he attended Cheektowaga High School. He was considered the No. 1 ranked Junior College pitcher in the country in the midseason rankings.

Coming into draft weekend, Barr was tabbed as the No. 136 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 223 prospect by Baseball America.

Scouting Report from MLB.com

Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

“Niagara County Community College, now known as SUNY Niagara, has had 10 players drafted from the program, including two pitchers in the 2023 class led by Brewers third-rounder Ryan Birchard. Barr has the chance to join Birchard as just the second Thunderwolves player to go in the top five rounds after vaulting to the top of junior college prospects lists this spring and making scouts log the miles up close to Lake Ontario to check him out.

At 6-foot-6, the long-limbed Barr oozes projection from the mound, and he already has some pretty exciting now stuff. He throws everything with a ton of spin, including a fastball he can crank up to 97 mph with good life. Both his slider and curve register elite-level spin rates and help him miss a ton of bats at the NJCAA DIII level. 

Barr’s control will need refinement; he’s shown he can be around the strike zone, but his command can be scattered. There’s conviction among scouts that, given the ease of operation and the loose and athletic delivery, he’ll be a decent strike-thrower in time. He’s a bit raw, but the ingredients are all there, including the ability to add strength, to make him an intriguing early-round possibility.”

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