Michael Patrick Barrett (born October 22, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player and current catching coordinator for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB as a catcher and started his professional career with the Montreal Expos at age 18. Barrett spent three years playing in Minor League Baseball as a shortstop and catcher. He played with the Honolulu Sharks, West Palm Beach Expos, and Delmarva Shorebirds, and was elected to two Minor League All-Star games.
Upon Barrett's return to MLB in , he ranked among the top offensive rookies in various statistical categories. Barrett sustained two major injuries, which caused him to miss 115 games with the Padres, and was subsequently released after the season. Barrett attempted to make a comeback with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2009, but continued to struggle with injury issues, which led to his release in the subsequent offseason.
Early years
Barrett was born in Atlanta. During his senior year, Barrett won Atlanta's Gatorade's Player of the Year, and was named to the All-USA High School and First Team High School All-Americans All-star teams. Barrett initially signed a letter of intent to play college baseball at Clemson. The Montreal Expos selected Barrett as the 28th overall selection in the draft. He spent the next three years in the minors, playing in the Gulf Coast, South Atlantic, Hawaii Winter Baseball, and Florida State Leagues, during which he was converted from a shortstop to a catcher. and posted career high statistics that season; leading all National League catchers with 33 doubles. The League recognized his efforts, and named Barrett the "National League co-Player of the Week" for the second week of April after he recorded a franchise record 11 RBI within two games.
Barrett missed almost half of the 2003 on account of three injuries. He suffered the first during a game against the Colorado Rockies, during which one of Steve Reed's pitches accidentally hit and bruised Barrett's index finger. Barrett was able to continue playing, but claimed the injury had hindered his playing performance. During this period, Barrett began to complain about tightness in his right hip flexor. Barrett returned to the major leagues on September 12, although the Expos were already out of playoff contention.
Chicago Cubs
Barrett's long tenure with the Expos ended in December 2003. The team traded Barrett to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for minor league pitcher Brett Price. The Athletics then traded Barrett to the Chicago Cubs for Damian Miller, only days after the initial transaction. Barrett, who had just spent six days with three teams, shortly signed a one-year contract with the Cubs, which was worth nearly $1.55 million. He first practiced with the Cubs during their annual spring training sessions, and reported receiving a cold reception from teammates. Barrett went on to become one of their top hitters during the 2004 season. He played a crucial role in their wild card chase; Barrett maintained a .287 batting average and hit 16 home runs and 65 RBI during the 2004 season. Barrett was involved in two incidents with Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt during the 2004 season. On August 22, Oswalt beaned Barrett. Five days later, during another Cubs-Astros game, Barrett mouthed off to Oswalt and attempted to confront him. In a post-game press conference, Barrett condemned Oswalt's actions, and stated, "We're going to see him again." Although he failed to meet and surpass the same statistical figures in the previous season, Barrett received a Silver Slugger Award for his efforts.
Barrett sought to improve his numbers in the 2006 season, but ran into several obstacles. On May 20, 2006, Barrett was involved in an infamous altercation with A. J. Pierzynski during the Chicago Crosstown Classic between the Chicago White Sox and Cubs. During the game's second inning, Brian Anderson hit a sacrifice fly, which allowed Pierzynski to score the game's first run. Pierzynski showed his enthusiasm by slapping home plate. As Pierzynski got up, he bumped into Barrett, who proceeded to punch him. On June 30, the two met during batting practice, and made amends. Barrett rebounded after the incident, and batted over .300 in the final four months of the season. In his shortened season, Barrett hit 16 home runs, which matched his previous career high, and nearly surpassed his hit total from 2005. The Braves recorded 20 hits, en route to winning 8–5. Barrett and Zambrano engaged in a heated conversation upon returning to the dugout, which escalated into a small fight. Both players received fines for undisclosed amounts of money. The Cubs officially confirmed these details in the afternoon, and revealed that Barrett was traded in exchange for Rob Bowen and Kyler Burke. Despite stating he had no knowledge of the trade until hearing rumors in the morning, Barrett expressed his appreciation and well wishes to the Cubs organization on his homepage. He received a one-game suspension on July 22, after arguing with an umpire over a third strike. Barrett sustained a concussion on August 5, after a base-running accident against the San Francisco Giants. The Padres placed Barrett on the fifteen-day disabled list. The Tampa Bay Rays expressed interest in signing Barrett, even though the signing would involve trading the Padres a future second round draft pick as compensation. Barrett accepted the Padres' arbitration offer on December 7. The team later activated him on May 25, after he had recovered, and completed a minor league rehabilitation assignment. He required surgery to repair the damage, and had been placed on the disabled list for the second time in 2008. The Padres waived Barrett on October 11, after he previously expressed interest in testing the free-agent market.
Toronto Blue Jays
On December 29, , Barrett signed a Minor League deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, and attended spring training as a non-roster invitee. He earned the back-up catcher role for the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training. He was scheduled to back up Rod Barajas, but Barrett tore a muscle in his right shoulder while attempting to retrieve a wild pitch on April 17, 2009. Barrett was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 18, and was expected to return within the two weeks. The Jays never recalled Barrett to their roster after the designation, and released him in the following offseason. He only played seven Major League games in 2009, in which he recorded a .167 batting average, three hits, and one home run. In early August, he was reassigned to play for their Class AAA affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. On November 6, Barrett elected and was granted free agency.
Post-playing career
On December 20, 2013, the Washington Nationals named Barrett the manager of the Gulf Coast League Nationals. Barrett has also served as the catching coordinator for the Nationals since .
Personal life
thumb|right |150px|Barrett leads off at third base
Barrett is married with 4 children. His cousin, Scott Fletcher, also played for the Cubs, along with many other teams over his fifteen-year career. Barrett has spent a considerable portion of his personal life devoted to helping children. He runs several youth baseball programs, including one in Hawaii, which was inspired from his tenure with the Hawaiian Winter Baseball League. Barrett was also a regular guest on FOX Chicago's The Final Word television show, which is co hosted by Tom Waddle, a former Chicago Bears wide receiver.