Barreto rebounds with authority for Sounds

Any two-homer game is special, but for Franklin Barreto, it was a particular response that spoke volumes.
Following a three-strikeout performance the night before, the No. 64 prospect in baseball surged Sunday with two homers and five RBIs -- matching career highs in a single game -- in Triple A Nashville's 8-2 win over Memphis at First Tennessee Park.

In the third inning, Barreto smacked a two-RBI single to center field. In the fifth with one on, the right-handed hitter lined a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left to give the Sounds a 5-1 lead. He followed up in the eighth with a solo shot to center on a fastball that hung over the plate.
"[Kevin Herget] had a really good changeup, so [Franklin] did a good job of recognizing that pitch," said Nashville hitting coach Eric Martins. "It also came on two strikes, which was good to see. The fastball right over, that's where his strength is to drive the ball. He can drive that away. That one was impressive, dead center right over the batter's eye."
Gameday box score
Martins was most pleased with the response following Barreto's fourth three-strikeout game of the season Saturday. After punching out 141 times a year ago, making contact and seeing pitches has been a focus for both of them this season.
"The thing with Franklin is he's pretty resilient," said Martins. "He carries that passion and wants to help the team win. Him not producing yesterday and having two punchouts, but the team still winning I think helped a lot because it didn't put as much pressure on him. He went out today like it's a different day and worked on things in the cage."

Barreto's last two-homer game came in the California League in 2015, when he went deep twice for the Class A Advanced Stockton Ports on May 18 and July 19. Last season, he posted 15 long balls in his first full season in the Pacific Coast League.
The 22-year-old last homered on April 28 against New Orleans before a 6-for-23 stretch in which he only racked up three extra-base hits, all doubles.
"Franklin's strong. He's going to be capable of hitting 20 home runs in the big leagues," Martins said. "He's going to hit a ton of doubles. He's small in stature, but he's really strong. He's going to have power, but for him it's about pitch selection and laying off pitches out of the zone. For the most part, when he got sent back down, he's been doing well."

With the power numbers, Martins and the Sounds also expect strikeouts to occur. This season, with Barreto on pace to strike out nearly as much as last season, the organization is looking at his walks and on-base numbers to counter the punchouts.
Going yard on a two-strike pitch, especially after the 0-for-3 game, was something that Martins additionally took as a positive.
"He was getting out of the zone again," he said. "He has the ability to hit any single pitch, but that's also a detriment to him because he feels he can hit anything, even out of the zone. If he takes a pitch, he gets into a better hitter's count. It's one of those things we really have to stay on top of him. He's making a valiant effort to have a two-strike approach this year."
Josh Phegley hit a two-run homer and B.J. Boyd scored twice for the Sounds.
Kendall Graveman (1-0) earned the win after giving up two runs on eight hits and five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.