The Michigan Wolverines have a great arm within their pitching staff heading into 2025. It is Kurt Barr, the right-hander from Saint Joachim, Ontario. He is entering his junior season after being one of the best pitchers in the Big 10 a season ago.
Last season, Barr was given the opportunity to start in more games. He made 11 starts and threw for a total of 89.2 innings. Over that stretch, he improved his ERA to 3.41, which was the fourth-best in the conference. He also gave up an opposing batting average of .224, which was an improvement from his 2023 season. He was the Michigan Wolverines’ leader in WHIP with a 1.26. That was enough to rank him in that category’s top ten in the Big 10.
Barr is due for a great season in Ann Arbor, during which he cannot only become the undoubted leader of the Wolverines’ pitching room but also gain a lot of draft stock. He’ll be done with his junior season and 21 years old, which gives him draft eligibility.
Some things Barr may have to improve include his strikeouts. He recorded only 60 in his 89.2 innings of work, and scouts may need to see some of that punch-out material come into play. Michigan would also like to see it in 2025, as they ranked with the worst strikeout per nine-inning average in the Big 10. They were not one of the stronger pitching teams in 2024, among others in the conference.
Barr is going to play a big role in getting the Wolverines’ pitching going. With 17 career starts, he is a very likely candidate to be a weekend starter for Michigan. The remainder of the pitching staff was young a season ago, as there were 11 freshmen on the team. This does not include the incoming Ohio State transfer Gavin DeVooght, who had a standout freshman season. This also does not include the seven incoming pitchers Michigan has in its high school recruiting class.
Barr will have to be a leader on the team, with many pitchers looking to mature in their second seasons. He can not only be the best arm in Ann Arbor, but he can also be one of, if not the best, in the Big 10.
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WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Kurt Barr pitches. (Jenna Hickeyt/Michigan Daily)
