Musical Catchers: Barnhart Gets Two Years With Cubs

This vacation season, all people desires a brand new catcher. Between free company and the commerce market, over a 3rd of the league’s groups have added to their catcher combine this offseason, with most of these strikes coming in the previous few weeks. Catchers are discovering new properties so quick that yesterday, my colleague Leo Morgenstern covered the Mets signing Omar Narváez and dealing James McCann to Baltimore, and Austin Hedges inking a one-year take care of Pittsburgh – after which two extra backstops signed that afternoon. In Cincinnati, the Reds introduced an settlement with Curt Casali (in addition to first baseman/outfielder Wil Myers), designating Mike Moustakas for project within the course of. And elsewhere within the NL Central, former Pink and Tiger Tucker Barnhart bought set to proceed his tour of the groups closest to his residence metropolis of Indianapolis, becoming a member of the Chicago Cubs on a two-year, $6.5 million contract with a participant choice after the approaching season. The 2-time Gold Glover will pair with Yan Gomes to type a catching platoon after the Cubs misplaced three-time All-Star Willson Contreras to the rival Cardinals in free company.

Barnhart did properly to safe himself a two-year assure with the participant choice – of the eight free agent catchers who’ve signed main league offers this offseason, Contreras (5 years), Christian Vázquez (three), Narváez (two), and Barnhart have earned multi-year commitments. These different three are way more vital provides, as is mirrored of their considerably increased whole contract values. However Barnhart could have had further motivation to lock down a second 12 months – with a few months over eight years of service, he heads into this contract inside attain of the 10-year service threshold that the Gamers Affiliation calls the “holy grail for players.” In fact, whereas the cash is assured, the service time isn’t, but when Barnhart can stay wholesome and productive sufficient to succeed in 10 years of service, his MLB pension will totally vest and he’ll notch a coveted milestone. The choice provides one other layer of participant friendliness – if Barnhart bounces again from a down 12 months in 2022, he’ll have a shot to check free company once more subsequent winter, when, to be truthful, the catcher market could as soon as once more be busy.

For the Cubs, Barnhart is a small piece of the puzzle in a busy offseason. The 31-year-old doesn’t supply a lot on the plate. In a platoon position for the Tigers, he posted profession lows with a .253 wOBA and 63 wRC+ this season whereas returning to switch-hitting after batting completely from the left facet for over two years. He has all the time hit right-handed pitching extra adequately – an 86 profession wRC+, in comparison with a 57 in opposition to lefties – so he slots comfortably right into a platoon with the right-handed Gomes. In a typical 12 months, his protection is robust sufficient to offset his weak bat – in 2021, as an example, he was value a career-high 1.2 WAR in 116 video games regardless of a wRC+ of 80. After lots went unsuitable for Barnhart in Detroit final 12 months, Steamer initiatives some regression to the imply in 2023, estimating a 76 wRC+ and 0.9 WAR over 78 video games.

Certainly, most of his worth comes from crouching behind the plate, not standing over it. Barnhart’s defensive worth over the course of his profession has come principally from three parts: his stolen base prevention; his ranking by the rGFP metric, which measures runs saved above common on good fielding performs together with pitch blocking; and, maybe most curiously within the narrative of his profession, his pitch framing. Again in 2018, Barnhart ranked second-to-last amongst all main league catchers with -14.5 framing runs above common (FRM). The Reds took discover and collectively they went to work. “I’d heard some issues that I wasn’t an excellent framer, however I wasn’t certain the place my quantity was,” Barnhart instructed The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosencrans. “After I talked to [Reds catching coach] J.R. [House] we arrange a gameplan to get me inside the highest 10 in framing and I form of laughed a bit bit and mentioned, ‘that’s going to be an enormous leap.’”

Barnhart would fall shy of the highest 10, however he did wind up sixteenth within the majors with 4.1 runs above common, a powerful year-over-year enchancment in any metric. The Fielding Bible’s rSZ and Statcast’s catcher framing runs metrics confirmed equally dramatic enhancements. He remained properly above common in 2020 and ’21 earlier than regressing marginally final 12 months, however in his higher framing years, the influence on his total worth is evident – if Barnhart and the Cubs can work out find out how to make his enhancements sustainable, that can serve the entire employees.

Listed here are some beauties from Barnhart submit transition, the primary of which is from Opening Day 2019, his first huge league recreation after engaged on framing:

Barnhart has additionally been a succesful defender in opposition to stolen bases – since 2016, solely J.T. Realmuto has minimize down extra would-be base stealers than Barnhart’s 140, and his 29.4% caught stealing share because the ’20 season is tied for ninth among the many 51 catchers with at the least 800 innings caught. Curiously, his skill to throw runners out appears to return not from a very good pop time (thirty second percentile in 2022) nor the energy of his arm (61st out of 84 qualifying catchers this 12 months), however somewhat his trade time of 0.68 seconds, which ranks eleventh amongst qualifiers. The Cubs allowed the third-most stolen bases in baseball in 2022 – we will anticipate that to enhance with Barnhart teaming up with Gomes, who profiles as remarkably just like Barnhart on this ability set.

Earlier this week, the Cubs hosted a press convention introducing Dansby Swanson as their shortstop for the foreseeable future. Within the two weeks prior, they added a center of the rotation arm in Jameson Taillon (although the entrance of the rotation stays a priority), re-signed Drew Smyly, took a flyer on Cody Bellinger in heart, and bolstered a weak bullpen with Brad Boxberger. All instructed, they’ve invested over 1 / 4 of a billion {dollars} this month in direction of enhancements, and as of Thursday evening, had added 9.3 projected WAR to their 2023 membership – the fourth-most of any workforce this offseason – together with Barnhart’s 0.9.

Regardless of a powerful second half final season and a powerful and costly offseason, the Cubs nonetheless don’t seem like they’re able to compete for a division title. Our depth charts projections have Cubs starters ranked twenty third and the bullpen twenty eighth, they nonetheless have some vital points on the nook infield positions, and a Barnhart/Gomes platoon is a reasonably vital downgrade from Contreras and Gomes. However hey, that degree of spending signifies that Jed Hoyer (and the Rickettses) are intent on turning the ship round after their first pair of shedding seasons because the 2016 World Sequence. And we stay in a three-Wild Card world now – a number of issues fall their method and the Cubs may actually discover themselves enjoying for a type of spots.

In the meantime, for those who’re in line to get a catcher this offseason, keep in line! Remarkably, there are nonetheless catchers available, together with Gary Sanchez, Roberto Perez, Jorge Alfaro, and surprising Phillies postseason influencer Kevin Plawecki. The Blue Jays, in idea, nonetheless have a surplus to commerce from with Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Gabriel Moreno, although they might have determined that the market is simply too saturated to get the return they’d need. Arizona’s Daulton Varsho has been a preferred identify within the commerce rumor mill, although after main all of baseball with 18 outfield OAA final 12 months – whereas nonetheless beginning 18 video games behind the dish – his days catching is likely to be principally behind him. The catcher carousel could also be slowing quickly, however there are offers but to return.