By Rubin E. Grant
Photo by Jordan Wald
Caleb Barnett was born in Oxford, England, but he doesn’t remember anything about living there.
His dad, Christopher Barnett, was working on his Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from the University of Oxford at the time, and when he finished, the family moved back to Alabama. Caleb was two.
What Barnett does remember is he fell in love with baseball when he was still a toddler.
A couple of years later, he was playing T-ball and then on the move again to Pennsylvania when his dad landed a job as a professor at Villanova University. During his time in Pennsylvania, Barnett developed into a standout baseball player. And now the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Mountain Brook senior pitcher/third baseman is considered the top player in Alabama.
Barnett joined the Spartans as a sophomore after the family returned to Alabama. His dad played baseball at Homewood in the 1990s. Barnett quickly established himself as a force on the mound and at the plate at Mountain Brook, earning Class 6A first team All-State honors in 2023 and 2024.
This year, he is Alabama’s top-ranked prospect according to Perfect Game USA and Prep Baseball Report and the No. 2 player at his position and 37th-rated overall recruit by PBR. He’s also rated as Perfect Game’s No. 3 third baseman and the No. 24 recruit nationally.
Barnett has been a three-time Perfect Game Underclassmen All-American selection and last year was invited to play in the Perfect Game 2024 All American Classic.
Mountain Brook coach Lee Gann raves about Barnett’s skills. “He’s a great kid, a great kid to coach, a hard worker and dynamic player,” Gann says. “He’s agile and has great feet at third base. Defensively, he starts every day, and he hits in the middle of the lineup and does a fantastic job.”
As a junior, Barnett was 7-0 with a sparkling 1.04 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched. He also hit .383 with eight home runs, 32 RBIs and 28 runs scored, and was 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts. He helped the Spartans win 30 games in 2024 and reach the third round of the Class 6A state playoffs before losing to eventual state champion Oxford in a marathon 12-inning decisive third game.
Barnett is looking for the Spartans to make another deep playoff run this season. “Team-wise, our goal is to win state,” he says. “Individually, I just want to be a good leader for the team.”
In his first two starts on the mound this season, Barnett earned a win and had a no decision while recording 13 strikeouts in seven innings against McAdory and Pelham. “When I’m right, I’m throwing a lot of good curveballs,” Barnett says. “I think my best pitch is my curveball, and I can locate it where I want. My fastball has been clocked as high 93 miles per hour, but sits at 90. As a hitter, I think I have good pop, and I’m consistently making pop, trying to get on base.”
Barnett’s younger brother, Paul, a sophomore, is the Spartans’ starting shortstop and also pitches. “It’s fun playing with my brother, but it can be annoying at times,” Barnett says with a laugh.
Mountain Brook opened the season with three wins in their first four games. “We’re looking good,” Barnett says. “We won 30 games last year, and we’re expecting more, but the main thing is staying healthy and getting locked in. We’re looking to get back in the playoffs and go as far as we can go.”
Barnett has signed with the University of Alabama after committing to the Crimson Tide as a freshman. “I thought it was a fantastic place to go play, and the SEC has the best competition in the country,” he says. “I thought the former coaching staff was great and the new one is just as amazing, if not better. Plus, I had a lot of my family go there.”
Barnett has designs on continuing to pitch and play the infield with the Tide. “It would be cool to be a two-way player in college,” he says. “I love to hit. I’ve been hitting since T-ball. I hit just about every day.”
Barnett, 18, might be taken in the 2025 MLB Draft in July. “There’s the potential for him to be drafted,” Gann says. “He’s still a young looking kid. The biggest thing for him is not to put pressure on himself and just play the game.”
That’s Barnett’s focus. “Sure, it would mean a lot to be drafted, but right now I’m expecting to go to college,” Barnett says. “Scouts are floating around, but right now I’m focusing on my high school season.”
