Tucker Barnhart… Please No
DBacks are reportedly interested in Tucker Barnhart… why?
A slow Day 1 of the Winter Meetings did give us 1 new DBacks rumor. The Dbacks (and Astros) are interested in long time catcher Tucker Barnhart.
THE GOOD: Tucker Barnhart is an extremely well liked veteran catcher who graded out as an above average pitch framer in 2023 according to statcast.
THE BAD: There’s a list:
According to statcast he graded out below average defensively in blocking, pop time, and called strikes.
In 123 PA’s in 2023 Barnhart had 48 OPS +
In 308 PA’s in 2022 Barnhart had a 61 OPS+ (league average is 100)
Barnhart has just 2 HR over the last 2 seasons, OPS of .554 and .541
Tucker Barnhart turns 33 this season.
I’ve seen 2 pro Tucker Barnhart arguments online. First that he’s a former Gold Glove winner (his defensive decline is mentioned above) and secondly that he’s an upgrade over Jose Herrera.
Jose Herrera also had a terrible 54 OPS+ last season, while sporting 0 HR and .503 OPS in his career. Jose Herrera scored -3 in Statcast framing, giving Barnhart a massive edge there. Herrera has a drastically better pop time and called strikes rating than Barnhart. At the end of the day I think they push defensively and both can’t hit.
The main reason I would just keep Jose Herrera is that he’s a minimum salary pre-arb player, where it’s safe to assume Tucker Barnhart will net a guaranteed MLB Deal for more than the minimum $740K.
The Dbacks have Tucker Barnhart at home already, no reason to buy some more. Unless it’s a true minor league deal with a non-roster invite to Spring Training with no major incentives, it’s a no from me on Tucker Barnhart.
Here’s a couple low salary free agent catchers I would take instead. Keep in mind the Dbacks clearly value pitch framing and want a vet behind Moreno. All these players should get something between non-roster invite to $4-5M.
Victor Caratini, 30
2023 Pitch Framing: +6 (89 percentile)
2023: 226 PA’s, 7 HR, .711 OPS, 95 OPS+
Sportac $ Projection: $3M
*Best all around backup option*
Tom Murphy, 32
2023 Pitch Framing: -3 (22 Percentile)
2023: 159 PA’s, 8 HR, .873 OPS, 142 OPS+
*Best hitting option*
Francisco Mejia, 28
2023 Pitch Framing: -4 (20 percentile)
2023: 160 PA’s, 5 HR, .658 OPS, 80 OPS+
*Youngest option*
There’s other no bat/plus framing catchers like Austin Hedges and Cam Gallagher that are available, but is that any better than Herrera? Again, Barnhart on a true NRI MiLB deal is fine, but a guaranteed contract would be a bummer.
@GoldyHappens