Michael Barrett is a former professional baseball player who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for over a decade. He was born on October 22, 1976, in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Pace Academy in Atlanta, where he played baseball and football.
Barrett was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the first round of the 1995 MLB draft and made his debut in the major leagues in 1998. He played for the Expos until 2003, when he was traded to the Oakland Athletics. However, he was only with the Athletics for a short time before being traded again, this time to the Chicago Cubs.
It was with the Cubs that Barrett had some of his most successful years. He played for the Cubs from 2004 to 2007 and was named an All-Star in 2006. During his time with the Cubs, he was known for his strong arm and ability to hit for power. He hit a career-high 16 home runs in 2005 and had a career-high 65 RBIs in 2006.
In 2007, Barrett was involved in a highly publicized incident with teammate Carlos Zambrano. During a game against the Atlanta Braves, Zambrano gave up a home run to Chipper Jones and then got into a heated argument with Barrett in the dugout. Zambrano punched Barrett in the face, and the two had to be separated by teammates. Barrett was traded to the San Diego Padres shortly after the incident.
Barrett played for the Padres for the remainder of the 2007 season and then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2008 season. He played in just 31 games for the Blue Jays before being traded to the Cubs once again. However, his second stint with the Cubs was not as successful as his first. He struggled at the plate and was eventually released by the team in 2009.
After being released by the Cubs, Barrett signed with the Tampa Bay Rays but played in just 27 games before being released again. He then signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for a second time but was released before playing in any games.
Barrett retired from baseball in 2010 with a career batting average of .263, 98 home runs, and 424 RBIs. He was known for his strong arm behind the plate and his ability to hit for power. However, he was also involved in several controversial incidents throughout his career, including the altercation with Zambrano and a brawl with A.J. Pierzynski in 2006. Despite these incidents, Barrett was a respected player in the league and had a successful career as a catcher in MLB.
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