Albany State University baseball pitcher Malik Barrington has signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins. Barrington was a standout pitcher for the Golden Rams baseball program in his three years as a starter.
Barrington joins a prominent list of HBCU baseball players selected in the 2021 MLB draft or who signed as free agents. That group includes former North Carolina Central University’s Austin Vernon and Texas Southern University’s Kamron Fields, both selected by the Tampa Bay Rays. Malik Barrington of Albany State (Minnesota Twins) and Evan Gates of North Carolina A&T University (San Francisco Giants) inked free agent deals.
Malik Barrington’s selection comes as no surprise after a standout and high-profile collegiate career for Albany State.
A 6-foot-3, 228-pound, Barrington, a three time Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SIAC) honoree and Black College Nines’ Elite selection, finished his career with 13 wins while allowing 116 hits, 72 runs, and striking out 168 batters in 141.2 innings pitched.
The Jacksonville, Florida native was ranked as one of the top NCAA Division II prospects in the country throughout the season. MLB scouts had him as a potential draft pick coming out of high school.
According to scouts, Barrington’s combination of power and arm strength made him a prospect.
What helped Barrington’s free agent signing? This past May he signed a contract to play in the independent United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) for the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers. The Twins noticed his 3.33 earned run average in 27.1 innings pitched striking out 30 batters while opponents hit .236 against him.