Five-Year MLB Veteran Kyle Barraclough Added To Saints Roster

ST. PAUL, MN (June 20, 2021) - The Minnesota Twins announced on Sunday that they have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Kyle Barraclough (Bare-claw) to a minor league contract and have assigned him to St. Paul.

Barraclough, 31, has pitched for four Major League teams. He was originally a Cardinals prospect from 2012 until 2015, when he was flipped to the Marlins. He made his big league debut with Miami in 2015. He pitched with the Marlins from 2015 until the 2018 season when he was traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for future considerations. He was then claimed off waivers from the Nationals by the San Fransisco Giants. He signed in February 2021 with the New York Yankees, where he had started this season in their minor league system.

The Santa Clara, California native opened the 2021 season with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In his first professional action since the 2019 campaign, Barraclough was off to a strong start, pitching his way to a 4-0 record and a 3.21 ERA. He struck out 24 batters in 14.0 innings of relief and allowed just five earned runs. He struck out a season-high five batters in 2.2 innings on June 3rd against Lehigh Valley and had at least one strikeout in every appearance.

He was signed by the San Diego Padres in December of 2019, but elected free agency in July of 2020.

In 2019, he opened the season in the bullpen with the Washington Nationals, posting a 1-2 record in 33 games, and a 6.66 ERA. He struck out a season-high three batters in one inning of work against San Diego on April 28th. The Nationals designated him for assignment in August and he did not clear waivers. The Giants claimed the righty and assigned him to Triple-A Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League. The Giants selected his contract in September, where he would pitch in 10 games for San Francisco, allowing just two earned runs in 10 appearances that spanned 8.0 total innings, calculating to a 2.25 ERA. His opponents’ .167 batting average is the second-lowest he’s allowed in any stint he’s had in the Majors.

His final year with the Marlins in 2018 did not show his best record at 1-6, which was his first time finishing with a losing record since his 2012 rookie season in Low-A. He was a strong force in the bullpen in June and was named NL Reliever of the Month after converting all seven of his save opportunities throwing 12.0 shutout innings for Miami. He only allowed one hit in the 36 at-bats he worked, walking two and striking out 12. He became the first Marlins reliever to win a monthly award since August of 2005. He would finish with 10 saves, a Major League career high.

Finishing with a career-high six wins in 2017, Barraclough was not used as much as a closer, only getting one save that season, but made it back-to-back years with six wins, as he went 6-2 in 2017, and 6-3 in 2016. In 2017 he finished second on the Marlins in games, and was first on the team in 2016 with 75 games, which was also tied for ninth in all of Major League Baseball that season. He ended the 2016 season on a high note, winning Marlins Rookie of the Year.

The first change of scenery in Barraclough's career came in 2015 when he was traded to Miami from St. Louis in exchange for right-handed pitcher Steve Cishek. He started off the season with Double-A Springfield and earned himself a Texas League All-Star selection after going 2-0 with a 3.28 ERA. He made his Major League debut on August 7, 2015 against Atlanta. He threw 1.0 inning of shutout relief and struck out one batter. He made the jump to The Show directly from Double-A Jacksonville, after pitching in just four games with the Suns. He went on to finish the season with the Marlins, going 2-1 with a 2.59 ERA in 25 games.

In 2014, the Cardinals’ 7th rounder from 2012 set a then career-high with 78 strikeouts in just 48 games. He would later break that mark in 2016, when he struck out 113 batters in 75 games with the Marlins. He started his career in 2012 with the Batavia Muckdogs after signing with St. Louis. He was originally drafted in 40th round by Minnesota in 2011, but did not sign.

The Saints have also placed right-handed pitcher Jhoan Duran on the 7-day injured list with a right elbow strain, retroactive to June 16.

The Saints roster now consists of 27 players, 16 pitchers and 12 position players with four players on the injured list.