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Thread: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

  1. #1
    Member Ron Madden's Avatar
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    Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Let’s take a look at some of the catchers on the market.
    For a younger pitching staff -- namely starters Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft -- to have consistent outings, strong catching depth is critical.

    Overall, seven catchers were needed to get through last season: Stephenson, Garcia, Mark Kolozsvary, Chris Okey, Michael Papierski, Austin Romine and Chuckie Robinson. This offseason, only Stephenson remains on the 40-man roster.

    Offensively, Cincinnati’s catchers ranked 24th in the Major Leagues with a .580 OPS. Defensively and in working with the pitchers, there were mixed results.

    Stephenson is arguably the Reds’ best hitter -- he batted .319 with an .854 OPS and six home runs in 2022 -- but can he stay healthy?

    The head injury issue is of particular concern, but there are no plans to move the 26-year-old to first base or designated hitter full-time.

    Incidentally, Stephenson shared on Twitter last week that he has resumed baseball activities.

    The Reds’ budget might be tight once again, but general manager Nick Krall noted there was some flexibility. Adding a decent backup catcher isn’t going to wow the fans, but it sure would help the pitchers.

    Let’s take a look at some of the catchers on the market.
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    Last edited by Ron Madden; 11-22-2022 at 10:25 PM.


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  3. #2
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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    I'd like to see the Reds get 1 of Christian Vasquez or Curt Casali.

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    Ron Madden (11-22-2022)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    I would be surprised if it wasn’t Barnhart. He’s a perfect fit.

    He’s exactly what the Reds want, a strong defensive catcher with starting experience, who handles pitching staff well, who worked with Stephenson before, who will be cheap, and who is a former fan favorite.

    I think Tucker will want to come back too, he seemed to enjoy his time in Cincinnati, still has some friends on the team, and GABP is a great park to rebound offensively.
    Hoping to change my username to 75769024

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Jorge Alfaro might well be an interesting guy to grab. He was a solid top 100 prospect with interesting tools who could do well in an offensive bandbox like GABP.

    Omar Narvaez had about as poor a season as possible last year, but the season before, he was an All-Star. Best of all, he's a LH hitter. I really like him as a legitimate option to keep Stephenson in the lineup as a DH, but still provide solid offense.

    Gary Sanchez gets a bum rap as a defensive trainwreck. He's worked hard to become league average as a backstop/ pitch framer. And that power is absolutely for real. He'll probably never hit .270 again, but even if he's a .220 hitter, his power and patience play-- and should play really well in Cincinnati.

    Tucker Barnhart has moved permanently to the left batter's box. That could help lineup balance and keep Stephenson from facing all the tough RH SP. Unfortunately, Barnhart can't hit much at all.

    Curt Casali had another good season with limited PAs. He's always hit well in Cincinnati and may be amenable to a reunion. I'd be fine with his signing.

    IMO, my top five would be:

    1. Gary Sanchez
    2. Omar Narvaez
    3. Jorge Alfaro
    4. Curt Casali
    5. Tucker Barnhart










    Austin Hedges



    Austin Romine

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    Ron Madden (11-23-2022),SirFelixCat (11-28-2022)

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    I wear Elly colored glass WrongVerb's Avatar
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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Narvaez would be my first choice, but I suspect he'll be offered the chance to start somewhere else.

    Jason Castro would make an interesting option, too.
    Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. -- Carl Sagan (Pale Blue Dot)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Mike Zunino and Kevin Plawecki have had good seasons in the recent past and could be decent catchers.

    I do think the Reds could offer lots of playing time-- let Stephenson divide his time between DH, 1B, and C pretty evenly. That'd provide plenty of PAs for a catcher.

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    mth123 (11-22-2022)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by 757690 View Post
    I would be surprised if it wasn’t Barnhart. He’s a perfect fit.

    He’s exactly what the Reds want, a strong defensive catcher with starting experience, who handles pitching staff well, who worked with Stephenson before, who will be cheap, and who is a former fan favorite.

    I think Tucker will want to come back too, he seemed to enjoy his time in Cincinnati, still has some friends on the team, and GABP is a great park to rebound offensively.
    I get people wanting players back after they've gone off to other teams for better money (or maybe even trades), but there's a part of me that longs for players who stay with one team their entire careers. Like Votto. Getting to know the players, them being "one of us", is almost as important for my fanhood as winning titles :/
    "He reminds me of me when I was that age -- the way he plays the game, I mean," Pete Rose talking about Chris Sabo

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    Member Ron Madden's Avatar
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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    I'd rather the Reds go after Curt Casali or Omar Narvaez than bring Tucker Barnhart back.

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Madden View Post
    I'd rather the Reds go after Curt Casali or Omar Narvaez than bring Tucker Barnhart back.
    Yeah, guys that can hit a little would be nice. Tucker probably costs a minor league contract with a invite to spring training, so I'm guessing that will be the move.
    WHEN DOES IT STOP!?!?

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    Ron Madden (11-23-2022)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bourgeois Zee View Post
    Jorge Alfaro might well be an interesting guy to grab. He was a solid top 100 prospect with interesting tools who could do well in an offensive bandbox like GABP.

    Omar Narvaez had about as poor a season as possible last year, but the season before, he was an All-Star. Best of all, he's a LH hitter. I really like him as a legitimate option to keep Stephenson in the lineup as a DH, but still provide solid offense.

    Gary Sanchez gets a bum rap as a defensive trainwreck. He's worked hard to become league average as a backstop/ pitch framer. And that power is absolutely for real. He'll probably never hit .270 again, but even if he's a .220 hitter, his power and patience play-- and should play really well in Cincinnati.

    Tucker Barnhart has moved permanently to the left batter's box. That could help lineup balance and keep Stephenson from facing all the tough RH SP. Unfortunately, Barnhart can't hit much at all.

    Curt Casali had another good season with limited PAs. He's always hit well in Cincinnati and may be amenable to a reunion. I'd be fine with his signing.

    IMO, my top five would be:

    1. Gary Sanchez
    2. Omar Narvaez
    3. Jorge Alfaro
    4. Curt Casali
    5. Tucker Barnhart










    Austin Hedges



    Austin Romine
    I like this list along with Jason Castro thrown in there as wel, but honestly I'd take ANYONE before Barnhart. He adds nothing to the bench when not starting and has no offense. Anyone else will do better.

    Having Barnhart in Spring Training simply says the Reds are not going anywhere. What does having a no hit player for a position at need say to the good players on the team?
    Last edited by wally post; 11-23-2022 at 09:25 AM. Reason: Adding a thought

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    Ron Madden (11-23-2022)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by wally post View Post
    I like this list along with Jason Castro thrown in there as wel, but honestly I'd take ANYONE before Barnhart. He adds nothing to the bench when not starting and has no offense. Anyone else will do better.

    Having Barnhart in Spring Training simply says the Reds are not going anywhere. What does having a no hit player for a position at need say to the good players on the team?
    I’m pretty sure the Reds aren’t going anywhere in 2023. Bringing Tucker back for a year won’t set the teams rebuild back any. The Reds only have 1 catcher that’s seen a big league field. I would look at bringing Barnhart back as more of a start rather than the answer to the catching problem.

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    Chip R (11-28-2022)

  21. #12
    Member Bourgeois Zee's Avatar
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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by wally post View Post
    I like this list along with Jason Castro thrown in there as wel, but honestly I'd take ANYONE before Barnhart. He adds nothing to the bench when not starting and has no offense. Anyone else will do better.

    Having Barnhart in Spring Training simply says the Reds are not going anywhere. What does having a no hit player for a position at need say to the good players on the team?
    I'm guessing they could bring Barnhart back cheaply with the idea of dealing him at the deadline for a prospect or two. Contending teams tend to value defense-first catchers who have the reputation of working well with pitchers. Barnhart is that guy.

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    I think some people are being a little ridiculous on the Barnhart hate. As bad as he was offensively last year he still put up a positive WAR(0.1 is still positive lol). Now compare that to the dreck the Reds ran out there last year in Garcia -0.8, Papierski -0.5, Chuckie -0.5, and Romine -0.6. So just by being a 0 WAR player Tucker would have been a plus 2.4 WAR over what the Reds had last year in that spot.

    Now factor in that Barnhart has a career .746 OPS in GABP, and this really doesn't seem like a terrible move to me. Of course there are better options, but Barnhart would likely be a massive improvement from the backup C's we had last year.
    Last edited by JCM11; 11-23-2022 at 11:17 AM.

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Just because someone doesn't want to bring Barnhart back doesn't mean they hate him, just means they're hoping for something better.

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    Chip R (11-28-2022),dfs (11-23-2022),Old school 1983 (11-23-2022),Revering4Blue (11-23-2022),UKFlounder (11-23-2022),wally post (11-23-2022)

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    Re: Who Can Reds Bring In As Back Up Catcher?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Madden View Post
    Just because someone doesn't want to bring Barnhart back doesn't mean they hate him, just means they're hoping for something better.
    On the surface, Barnhart looks like a fit because he's a lefty bat, but Stephenson is going to start at least 75 games behind the plate and probably spend a lot of time as a RH DH against LHP (platooning with Moose?). That would mean they need a RH bat to back him up who can play against those same LHP while Stephenson is DHing.

    Casali is the guy IMO. He's familiar with Johnson's method of handling pitchers and, IMO, he is every bit as good defensively as Barnhart.
    All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!

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