![Florida pitcher Hunter Barco (12) fields a bunt and throws to first to record an out against Mississippi State during the SEC Tournament Tuesday, May 26, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Sec Tournament Florida Vs Mississippi State](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_4729,h_2660/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01k5w7yd6x3k4rnthbjw.jpg "Florida pitcher Hunter Barco (12) fields a bunt and throws to first to record an out against Mississippi State during the SEC Tournament Tuesday, May 26, 2021, in the Hoover Met in Hoover, Alabama. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]
Sec Tournament Florida Vs Mississippi State")
Another Gator baseball-built player is headed to the big leagues. The Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday announced that they are calling up their No. 4 prospect, former University of Florida left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco for their last two series of the regular season.
We have selected the contract of LHP Hunter Barco. LHP Evan Sisk has been optioned to the minors, and outfielder Ronny Simon has been transferred from the 10- to the 60-day injured list.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) September 23, 2025
Barco was drafted by the Pirates in the second round (pick No. 44 overall) of the 2022 MLB draft out of the University of Florida. He split the 2023 season between the Florida Coast League and Florida State League. In 2024 he began the season with the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers before being promoted to the Double-A Altoona Curve.
Between High-A and Double-A last season, he was 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA across 18 games (16 starts). Through 66 innings, he gave up 24 earned runs on 48 hits, walked 22, and struck out 83. He had a 1.06 WHIP last season.
This season, he started the year in Double-A and was promoted in May to Triple-A Indianapolis. Between the two teams, he is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA through 27 games (23 starts), an improvement from 2024. He has thrown 99 1/3 innings, giving up just 31 earned runs on 70 hits, walked 49, and has struck out 116, with 82 of those strikeouts coming against Triple-A hitting. He had a 0.70 WHIP in Double-A, and so far in Triple-A, had a 1.37 ERA.
Hunter Barco to make MLB debut
The 24-year-old from Jacksonville will now take his next step and become a Major Leaguer as he joins the Pittsburgh Pirates for the end of the 2025 regular season. Barco, MLB’s No. 82 prospect in all of baseball, will join the Pirates in time for them to open their penultimate series of the season this week against the Cincinnati Reds, who are in a tight race for a wild card spot in the National League.
Had the Pirates not added him to the 40-man roster before the end of the season, Barco would have been eligible for the Rule Five Draft this offseason. So that is now out of play with the Pirates selecting his contract on Tuesday, and he will gain great experience throughout the rest of the season ahead of 2026.
To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Pirates optioned left-handed pitcher Evan Sisk to the minor leagues and transferred Ronny Simon from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Barco becomes the fourth Gator to make an MLB debut in 2025, joining Jac Caglianone (Royals), Brandon Sproat (Mets), and Philip Abner (Arizona Diamondbacks).
While facing Cincinnati, he will have the opportunity to reunite with another former Gator in Brady Singer, drafted out of Florida in 2018.
The newest major leaguer won’t be far from home beginning on Thursday as the Pirates conclude their regular season against the Atlanta Braves, just a short drive north from Jacksonville.
The Gator boys are staying hot and becoming big leaguers one-by-one. Florida football may not be having the hottest year, but it’s a great time to be a Florida Gator on a baseball field.