Locals In MiLB: Former Riverton Pitcher Joe Barlow Looks For His Next Chance At The Big Leagues

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – Former SLCC Bruin and MLB reliever Joe Barlow had an extra special moment when he took the mound for Round Rock on Tuesday night against the Salt Lake Bees.

Barlow’s second save of the year came in a clean inning against his hometown team, not far from where he starred on the diamond for the Riverton Silverwolves in high school.

“I think I left 62 tickets on Tuesday,” Barlow said of the requests from friends and family for his first game at The Ballpark. “My parents have been to all of them, so it’s exciting to see the new ballpark.”

Yesterday’s save for Joe Barlow was a special one as the Utah native had plenty of support in the stands! @RylanKobre sat down with him on Wednesday’s Express Report 🚂 pic.twitter.com/yF4FxeRQH6

— Round Rock Express (@RRExpress) June 4, 2025

The Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers) hurler is battling his way back to the big leagues after being released by the Chicago White Sox organization in July 2024.

“It’s a lot easier to pitch when you’re healthy,” Barlow said of the wrist surgery and other ailments that kept him from being his best in recent seasons.

“In the same breath, sometimes those injuries can rebrand you. Going through it is obviously not fun, but coming out on the other side, you get more knowledge of the process of pitching and staying healthy. It’s an opportunity to learn about the craft, with pitching being such an art.”

Barlow used the downtime to regain comfort with pitching, even adding a splitter to his repertoire.

“Over the last two months, I started playing with the splitter,” Barlow said. “I think all my strikeouts the past two games have come on the splitter. It’s fun to develop a pitch, watch it be bad, and stick with it. Three weeks later, all of a sudden, I’m throwing it in leverage counts.”

Barlow earns 2023 World Series ring with Texas Rangers

2023 didn’t go according to plan for the young righthander as blisters on his pitching hand limited his performance. After being designated for assignment on July 30, the Kansas City Royals claimed Barlow.

Despite finishing the year with the Omaha Storm Chasers, Barlow still earned a World Series ring after Texas beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-1 for the first championship in franchise history.

Barlow is back🤠:
The Rangers have signed RHP Joe Barlow to a minor league deal with invitation to MLB Spring Training pic.twitter.com/fnEsOzYBwD

— Rangers Access (@themlbreport12) February 16, 2025

“Knowing the guys, having been part of the team, and cheering from home was awesome,” Barlow reminisced. “I texted with the guys and went to one of the Diamondbacks games. They still made me feel like part of the team, even though I wasn’t on the roster anymore.”

Joe Barlow | Pitcher | Salt Lake Bruins/Riverton HS

MLB – Chicago White Sox

Born September 28, 1995, in Riverton, Utah, Barlow spent his prep career with the Riverton Silverwolves. After earning All-State recognition in 2014, Barlow signed with D.G. Nelson and the SLCC Bruins.

A catcher to begin his collegiate career, the 6’2 righthander transitioned to the mound as a sophomore in 2016.

“Pitching wasn’t even a thought , but I struggled swinging the bat,” Barlow said of his freshman season with the Bruins. “I kept nudging D.G. (SLCC head coach D.G. Nelson), ‘You should give me an inning’.”

Congratulations to Joe Barlow on signing with the Texas Rangers, where he was originally drafted and ultimately made his MLB debut in 2021 🔥

In his first 54 1/3 innings with the club, Barlow sported a 2.15 ERA, 22.6% Strikeout Rate, and 3.79 FIP and went on to record 24 saves… pic.twitter.com/dcnCKjdtSZ

— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) February 17, 2025

It wasn’t until Salt Lake added catching depth heading into his sophomore season that he got a chance to pitch.

“We recruited three catchers, and finally, I got the coaches to give me the last inning of fall ball,” Barlow said. “I go in and hit 95 MPH. Coach (Jeremy) Berg told me, ‘If you do that one more time during the spring, I think you’ll have a chance to pitch in pro ball.”

He was dynamic for the Bruins, beginning the year as a closer before moving into a starter’s role. He finished the season with a 2.21 ERA and a 3-3 record in 13 appearances. Barlow held opponents to a .148 batting average against while striking out 51 and walking 30.

The Texas Rangers nabbed Barlow in the 11th round (339 overall) of the 2016 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut nearly five years later, tossing a shutout inning against the Oakland Athletics on June 24, 2021.

The Rangers dealt Barlow to Kansas City at the 2023 trade deadline.

2025 MiLB Stats: 18 Games | 2-2 | 5.61 ERA | 25.2 IP | 29 Ks | 11 BBs | 1.68 WHIP

Career MLB Stats: 3 Yrs | 79 Games | 4-4 | 3.05 ERA | 73.2 IP | 61 K | 27 BB | 1.07 WHIP

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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24. 

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