New Athletics Reliever Scott Barlow Brings Much-needed Experience
MESA, Ariz. (Feb. 12, 15) — When new Athletics reliever Scott Barlow reported to the team Tuesday, he saw first baseman and 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz sitting across the clubhouse from him. Barlow immediately flashed back to September 13, when — as a member of the Cincinnati Reds — he gave up a towering 496-foot grand slam to Kurtz.
As Barlow tells it, he said to Kurtz, “On a clear night, if you look up in the sky, you’ll see this comet. You always see it. That’s that ball.”
Highs and Lows
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Relievers, while constantly striving to retire every batter they face, must also be able to roll with the punches. They will give up home runs, inevitably. Some will barely clear the fence. Others, like the Kurtz blast, will go so far that the ball will never be found. (Author’s Note: Shea Langeliers, who was standing on first for the Kurtz bomb, told me this.) As retired pitcher and former manager Bud Black would say, “That’s baseball.” Relievers will have highs, and they will have lows.
From 2020 to 2022, Scott Barlow — then of the Kansas City Royals — had plenty of highs, culminating in being one of the top closers in the AL. His WHIP improved every year, from 1.200 in 2020 to 1.197 in 2021 and a ridiculous 0.996 in 2022. For reference, the AL averages were 1.323, 1.301, and 1.253, respectively. His scoreless outing percentages (ScOtg%) also improved each year, from 78.1% in 2020 to 78.9% in 2021 and 81.2% in 2022. For reference, the AL averages were 70.3% in 2020, 70.7% in 2021, and 72.0% in 2022. Goose Eggs were also above league average each season, though they fluctuated. For Goose-Egg-to-Broken-Egg Ratio (GE/BE), league average tends to be around 3.0 every year. Barlow had a 7.0 ratio in 2020 (7-1 GE-BE), 4.5 in 2021 (27-6 GE-BE), and 7.2 in 2022 (36-5 GE-BE).
What spawned the metamorphosis, according to Barlow, was “getting to know what makes me good. What makes me good? What am I not good at, and what could I improve on? Sticking to the baseline of what makes me successful. Knowing the key things I need to take into a gameday.”
The Lows
But the beginning of 2023 brought some lows. “I lost focus on what makes me good,” Barlow admitted. “When I lost sight of that, I started pressing a little bit.” Walks did him in, his percentage increasing from a better-than-league-average 7.6% in 2022 to 12.5% in 2023. This helped drive his WHIP up from 0.996 to 1.552. Not only was this a jump of 0.556, but it brought him from being 0.257 lower than league average to 0.254 higher. His ScOtg% plummeted from 81.2% to 71.1%. Unsurprisingly, his ERA-minus leapfrogged from 54 to 121.
A Change of Scenery for Scott Barlow
Sometimes, when a reliever enters a tailspin, a change of scenery is the remedy. For Scott Barlow, that change of scenery took him from the last-place Royals to the in-the-hunt San Diego Padres. While there, he worked with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who guided him back on track. “Working with Ruben Niebla was a really great thing, because he would let you know up front what you’re doing wrong. He would look at what makes you successful and bring it to your attention. Then if you lost sight of it, he brought it to your attention.” Barlow added that there were some mechanical problems. He summed up his stint in San Diego as a “fun, fun time. (Ruben) cares so much about every single guy and wants to get you better.”
Though the Padres missed the playoffs, Barlow pitched more like his old self. Across 25 appearances, he held opponents scoreless in 20 (80.0%; NL average: 71.2%). His walk percentage was still higher than league average, but it improved by nearly three percentage points (9.8%). However, two other areas improved immensely, ending up much better than league average. His ERA minus dove back to 73, and his WHIP was 1.193 (NL average: 1.332).
Both Ohio Teams
Scott Barlow spent 2024 and 2025 in Ohio. In 2024, he pitched for the Cleveland Guardians and manager Stephen Vogt. Barlow pitched for the Reds and manager Terry Francona in 2025. Though his seasons were not up to the standards he established for himself in 2022 with the Royals and in 2023 with the Padres, Barlow enjoyed playing for both Vogt and Francona. Of Vogt — AL Manager of the Year for both ’24 and ‘25, he said, “Player’s manager, for sure. Not too far removed from the game. He was so personable and, like Ruben, cared about every single guy. Even though it was his first time being a manager, I would have never known. It was such a natural transition for him. There are not enough words to show how much respect I have for him.”
With the Reds, Barlow saw a distinct difference in the ways Vogt and Francona use and manage their relief corps. Cleveland was more analytical, keeping relievers “on your toes” as to when they were going into the game. Cincinnati looked more into which role relievers were working, so “it was pretty consistent.”
Scott Barlow Makes His Postseason Debut
Barlow saw his time in Cincinnati end with his first postseason appearance, and it could not have gone any better. After the Los Angeles Dodgers had shelled Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (Game One, NL Wild Card Series), Barlow took the mound for the fourth inning with the Reds down, 5–0. After striking out the side in a 1–2–3 fourth, he opened the fifth by retiring Freddie Freeman on a liner to first. The next batter, Max Muncy, was also his last — and he struck him out as well, for good measure. Five batters, five outs. “First time pitching in a playoff atmosphere — that was a lot of fun,” he recalled with a smile. “A lot of things, when adrenaline is pumping, take care of themselves. That was one of those moments.”
While disappointed that the Reds lost the game and the series, Barlow took an emotional and mental boost from that outing. “Going into the off-season, after having that under my belt, was really satisfying. Because there are a lot of things that happen in the season. There are ups and downs, trying to be as level as you can. Having that be the exclamation point for the season was, personally, really nice.”
Coming to the Athletics
So what attracted Scott Barlow to the Athletics? “Man, they can hit. Holy cow.” Barlow answered this question with his eyes as big as saucers before telling the Kurtz story. Then he continued, “The young, offensive side — I wanna watch that. I love watching hitters break. But also, it seemed like — from the other dugout — a really fun team to be a part of.”
With the Athletics, his reputation precedes him. Lefty starter Jeffrey Springs said, “I feel like he pitches all the time, which is a great thing to have as a reliever.” He added, “He can really spin the ball” and pointed out how he’s done “multiple roles for years.” He concluded with, “He can help some of the other guys back in the bullpen and our pitching staff as a whole. His experience is going to go a long way toward helping us be better as a staff.”
Manager Mark Kotsay said Wednesday he likes the way Barlow competes. He also likes the experience he has on the back end. Catcher Shea Langeliers said of Barlow’s sweeper and curveball, “I’d much rather try to catch them than hit them.” Righty reliever Tyler Ferguson likes Barlow’s experience and said he “could bring some veteran leadership” to the group.
Langeliers also pointed out that Barlow was in the 99th percentile for hard-hit balls in 2025. This means he gave up a lower percentage of batted balls with an exit velocity of 95 mph or greater than 99 out of every 100 major league pitchers. On a side note, that makes the Kurtz homer even more impressive, since it was the hardest hit Barlow gave up all season (114.6 mph).
What the GM Saw
General manager David Forst echoed Ferguson, saying Barlow adds “some much-needed experience” to everything. He said, “I like the experience. I think he has more than twice as many career saves as everybody else in our bullpen combined.” (Author’s note: Barlow — 59 saves; everyone else combined — 15 saves.) Forst continued, “I don’t think we’re gonna go into the season with a capital C closer. Mark (Kotsay) and Emo (pitching coach Scott Emerson) did such a good job after we traded Mason (Miller) of putting guys in good positions, mixing it up, so I trust their ability to do that. But it’s always nice to have somebody who has that experience, and Scotty does. He’s continued to have success in any role.”
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Main Photo Credits:
MESA, Ariz. (Feb. 12) — Athletics reliever Scott Barlow throws a bullpen session during spring training workouts at Hohokam Stadium. (Photo by Evan Thompson/Sport Relay)
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