It wasn't long ago that José Barrero was one of the Cincinnati Reds' top prospects, seen as a key piece of the future in the middle infield. According to Baseball America, Barrero was a Top 100 prospect in both 2021 and 2022, reaching as high as No. 33 in the latter season.
Barrero exploded as a 23-year-old in 2021, climbing from Double-A to the major leagues while posting a .919 OPS, 19 home runs, and 16 stolen bases in just 85 games in the minors that season.
Unfortunately, he never lived up to the hype in the big leagues.