South Florida’s top two MLB Draft prospects are friendly rivals, possible college teammates
When Brandon Barreira was 8 years old, his travel baseball team faced a rival club that included star Sal Stewart.
It wasn’t a fair fight.
“They had a powerhouse team with kids who were so big we thought they were grown men,” Barreira said of Stewart’s squad, known as Florida Stealth. “Sal was one of those kids we thought were already in high school.
“Their team was insane. We could only compete with them for a couple of innings.”
These days, Barreira and Stewart are still rivals but also close friends, Vanderbilt recruits and top prospects for the upcoming MLB Draft, set for July 17-19.
Barreira, a 6-1, 185-pound lefty pitcher at Plantation American Heritage, is predicted by Baseball America to get selected 29th in the draft. Only two lefty pitchers are ranked above Barreira.
Stewart, a 6-3, 215-pound third baseman at Miami Westminster Christian, is ranked 91st among all prospects, which could mean a draft selection among the top three rounds.
And although Barreira is ranked ahead of Stewart, few prep players can match the latter’s power, at least according to Westminster coach Emil Castellanos.
“He’s one of the best high school hitters in the country,” Castellanos said. “He hits balls 470 to 480 feet, and he’s just 18 years old.”
Barreira also has power, and it’s located primarily in a golden left arm that generates fastballs up to 99 mph.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Barreira was 8 years old when he and his family moved to Coconut Creek, and that’s when he started playing baseball. He was shocked as a kid that the Puerto Rican Day Parade — a big deal in New York — wasn’t a thing at all in Coconut Creek.
These days, Barreira is well adjusted to South Florida, and the warm weather has allowed him to train year-round in baseball.
“The expectation is that Brandon is a first-rounder,” American Heritage coach Mike Macey said. “Besides his fastball, he also has a wipeout slider, and he loves his changeup, which is 12 or 13 mph slower than his fastball.
“His fourth pitch is his curve, which he may utilize more in the pros.”
Cannons Baseball Academy director Nick James, who has coached Barreira for eight years, said there was a connection since he was also a lefty pitcher in his playing days at James Madison University.
“When you see a young lefty with that kind of talent, you want to help,” James said. “I’ve seen him ranked as high as No. 7 in the draft, but it’s all about signability and money.”
Former Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian star Andrew Painter, who in 2021 was the Philadelphia Phillies’ first-round pick, 13th overall, taught Barreira his slider.
“It looked like a fastball when I saw him throw it,” Barreira said, “but then it moved like a foot.”
Barreira said he has always thrown hard, but …
“I got the nickname ‘Wild Thing’ as a kid because I wasn’t able to throw strikes,” Barreira said. “But every year, I’ve gotten more command. My delivery is more repeatable.”
Meanwhile, Barreira and Stewart have other things in common besides being top prospects who have signed with Vanderbilt.
Both of them have Hispanic ancestry – Cuban-American for Stewart and Puerto Rican-American for Barreira. Both are good students – 4.07 GPA (weighted) for Stewart and 3.7 for Barreira.
In addition, both of them are interested in studying broadcasting at Vanderbilt.
Then again, given how highly regarded they are in the draft, it seems unlikely that they will make it to Nashville for college. Maybe these two friends who have spent a decade playing against each other will continue in that role in the minors.
In high school, they had just one game where they matched up against each other, and that happened this year on April 19. Barreira won that game, 8-4, and he got Stewart on two groundouts in his first two at-bats.
However, after throwing five scoreless innings, Barreira allowed some damage in the sixth, including Stewart’s opposite-field, three-run triple to right.
“I got a fastball up,” Stewart said.
Barreira remembers that play a bit differently while admitting Stewart beat him on that 0-2 fastball that was high and tight.
“The ball hit the wall and then the foul pole and then bounced into the bullpen,” Barreira said. “At most, it was a double and an error.
“That was the hardest pitch I threw all day, 98 or 99 [mph]. I was trying to change his eye level. Sal was late, but that’s the perk of being 6-3 and 215 pounds. He still drove it the other way. That’s how strong he is.”
Indeed, in 91 career high school games, Stewart hit .488 with a .621 on-base percentage, 31 doubles, three triples, 30 homers, 78 walks, 111 runs, 95 RBI and a 1.621 OPS.
Barreira’s prep career includes an 11-0 record with a 2.00 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 70 innings. Batters hit .163 against him, and he allowed just one homer in his entire prep career.
Stewart was Vanderbilt’s first committed recruit in the Class of 2022. After that, Stewart convinced Barreira, who had also considered LSU and North Carolina State, to join the class.
“I have big love for Sal,” Barreira said. “We talk every day.”
Next up for both players is the draft.
Stewart, who has trained with MLB superstar Manny Machado, said he is eagerly awaiting the selection process.
“I haven’t even come to my senses,” said Stewart, who is currently taking classes at Vanderbilt. “I’ve worked really hard, and I’m excited to see what happens.”
Barreira said he has dreamed about the draft for years.
“Now that it’s happening, it’s surreal,” he said. “Once draft night comes, I will be on a high, geeking out to hear Harold Reynolds talk about me on MLB Network.”