Michael Barrett

From Freepedia

Michael Patrick Barrett (born October 22, 1976 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a catcher for the Chicago Cubs in Major League Baseball.

Barrett was a first-round pick in 1995 by the Montreal Expos out of Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. Drafted as a shortstop, Barrett played both third base and catcher in the minors. Barrett started his career with the Montreal Expos, and had a good rookie season. After the 2003 season, Barrett was traded to the Oakland Athletics; just a few days later, Barrett switched teams again. This time he was traded to the Cubs for veteran catcher Damian Miller. In 2004, Barrett surprised many with a very solid year. Barrett was one of the better hitting backstops in the National League, while his defense was average. In 2004, Barrett hit .287, with 16 home runs, and 65 RBI. Barrett also slugged .489; 80 points above his career average. Barrett faced a little controversy late in the 2004 season, after a confrontation with Houston pitcher Roy Oswalt. After giving up a three run homer to Aramis Ramirez, Oswalt hit Michael Barrett in the back with the next pitch; many people, including Barrett, considered the pitch to be an intentional bean ball. Five days later, when the Astros traveled to Chicago, Barrett began arguing with Oswalt, while Oswalt was at bat. Both teams' benches cleared, but no punches were thrown. Some believe that Barrett fired up the Astros, because after his argument with Oswalt, the Astros started winning. In the end, Houston came from behind to beat the Cubs out for the wild card spot by three games. Barrett has had another solid season in 2005 despite a few rather costly defensive mistakes, and some think he may develop into one of the best catchers in the circuit.