Tucker Barnhart probably does not inspire dread among the pitchers who face the Cincinnati Reds. Maybe he should.
The defensive-minded backstop delivered a walk-off winning hit Wednesday afternoon that enabled the Reds to claim the rubber game of a three-game set with the Colorado Rockies. The hit was Barnhart’s first career walk-off.
The switch-hitting Barnhart also had a RBI double in the seventh inning of the game and later scored in the inning.
Barnhart filled in capably last year as a backup catcher in the absence of Devin Mesoraco, wh0 missed almost the entire year with a hip injury. Barnhart was actually the back-up to Mesoraco’s primary backup Brayan Pena.
The 25-year-old showed some offense in 2015 by batting .252 in 242 at-bats but displayed little power with just three homers and nine doubles.
So far in 2016, Barnhart has still seen a fair amount of playing time despite Mesoraco’s return. Wednesday marked his seventh start in the Reds first 15 games of the year. After his 2-for-4 showing Wednesday, Barnhart raised his average to .348 in 23 at-bats.
The production by Barnhart has far exceeded that of Mesoraco so far this season. Mesoraco is hitting just .161 this year with one RBI in 31 at-bats.
Barnhart won’t ever come close to the power of Mesoraco, but his continued development as a contact hitter will add to Barnhart’s value as a backup.
The occasional clutch hit like he had Wednesday will add to his primary value as a defensive backstop. Barnhart may not have a canon for an arm, but he has caught 37% of the baserunners attempting to steal against him over his career (25 caught in 68 attempts).
Compared to the 25% caught-stealing rate for Mesoraco (50 of 199 caught), Barnhart has enjoyed much more success behind the plate in that regard.
Barnhart won’t take away Mesoraco’s starting job as long as Mesoraco is healthy, but the Reds have a solid insurance policy in Barnhart in the event Mesoraco is injured again.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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