Born in Miami,Barkett played college baseball for the NC State Wolfpack from 1992 to 1995.[1] As a player,he threw and batted left-handed and was listed at 6feet 1inch (1.85m) and 205 pounds (93kg).
In 1995,Barkett made his professional debut with the Butte Copper Kings of the Pioneer League.[2] In 45 games with Butte,Barkett had a .333 average,5 home runs and 51 runs batted in.[2] He was acquired by the Texas Rangers on August 10.[3] Barkett finished the season with the Charleston RiverDogs of the South Atlantic League,a Class A affiliate of the Rangers. He batted .218 over 21 games with Charleston,driving in 12 runs.[2]
Barkett remained in the Rangers organization for the next four seasons,twice batting over .300 at the Triple-A level before drawing his release in May 2000. After a brief stint in the Atlanta Braves system,the Pirates signed Barkett as a free agent in January 2001,setting the stage for his MLB trial. Appearing in 17 games (and starting 11 as a left fielder or first baseman) between May 28 and June 24,Barkett collected 14 hits,hitting .304 with three runs batted in. His hits included two doubles and one home run,struck off Joe Mays of the Minnesota Twins in an inter-league contest at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on June 9. Barkett returned to Triple-A for the balance of 2001,and spent the remainder of his playing career in the minor league organizations of the Seattle Mariners,Detroit Tigers and Braves. He retired in 2005,after 11 seasons in professional baseball.
Barkett returned for two seasons to the Pirates' organization,as assistant minor league hitting coordinator (2016) and then as manager of the Triple-AIndianapolis Indians (2017),whom he led to a 79–63 record and first place in the International League's West Division. The Indians fell to the Durham Bulls in the first round of the playoffs,three games to one.[5] His nine-season managerial record,through 2017,is 610–569 (.517).
On November 4,2017,Barkett was named assistant hitting coach of the Boston Red Sox,working on the staff of new manager Alex Cora,[6] and was in that role when the team won the 2018 World Series. He returned as Boston's assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season,and temporarily took over third base coaching duties during June,when the team's usual third base coach,Carlos Febles,had problems with his right foot.[7] Following the 2019 Red Sox missing the playoffs,Barkett was reportedly dismissed in early October,[8] which was confirmed by the team on October 8.[9]
Personal life
Barkett and his wife,Brandy,have two daughters and a son.[10]
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