JAMES BARKSDALE
5/7/85; '06 15th; Univ. of North Alabama
L/L; 5-10, 175
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 2004 NCAA |
.341 |
.381 |
.459 |
185 |
11 |
4 |
1 |
11 |
27 |
10 |
5 |
| 2005
NCAA |
.388 |
.425 |
.533 |
240 |
17 |
6 |
2 |
18 |
29 |
40 |
4 |
| 2006 NCAA |
.436 |
.479 |
.577 |
241 |
14 |
7 |
2 |
16 |
27 |
59 |
10 |
| 2006 A-
|
.209 |
.235 |
.222 |
158 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
32 |
8 |
5 |
| 2007 A- |
.324 |
.346 |
.392 |
74 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
21 |
11 |
3 |
| 2008
A+ |
.236 |
.275 |
.315 |
165 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
9 |
46 |
12 |
11 |
Barksdale had a very good career as a leadoff hitter for
North Alabama, getting better each year. Baseball America nevertheless did
not rate him among the top 22 prospects in Alabama, in a down year for the
state. The Pirates liked him for his speed, defense and contact ability,
which was generally their way of saying he wouldn't hit. He was the
primary CF for Williamsport in 2006 and, in fact, was one of the weakest hitters on a remarkably weak-hitting team. He returned to that level in 2008 and improved dramatically in fairly limited playing time. Nevertheless, his K/BB ratio remained awful, leaving doubts about what he'd do higher up. He didn't show any power. It probably helped him that he got only eleven ABs against LHPs. Barksdale played mainly in LF, as Keanen Simon and Austin McClune got most of the time in CF. He was jumped up to Lynchburg to start 2008 as a backup, an indication that he's made transition to organizational player. He ended up playing regularly in CF at times due to injuries to Alex Presley. He didn't hit much and struggled with the strike zone, fanning a lot for a guy with no power. His base stealing wasn't especially good, either. He may return in the same role in 2009, although the team's new management promotes players more aggressively than the old regime, so Barksdale may face competition from other players moving up.
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