Barreto, who went 2-for-2 with a double and a run in the Athletics' 6-3 Cactus League win over the Rockies on Friday, is impressing manager Bob Melvin with his work in the outfield, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. "You watch the drills and watch him do his work in the outfield, he's a natural at it," Melvin said. "When you're that athletic, it gives you some options."
Barreto is actually impressing with both the bat and glove thus far in Cactus League play. The 23-year-old is now hitting .500 (8-for-16) with three doubles and only two strikeouts in spring training, with a successful winter ball stint in Venezuela (.358 average, .927 OPS over 203 plate appearances) clearly having helped Barretto maintain his timing at the plate throughout the offseason. However, his transition from second base to the outfield is drawing plenty of raves as well, with Melvin noting that Barreto has jumped into the process without any trepidation. Barreto played center field in Friday's game after manning left Thursday, and the plan is to continue moving him around the outfield before he likely starts the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.