Chicago Cubs Set to Utilize Unorthodox Catching Situation in 2023
The Chicago Cubs are expected to utilize two players in the starting catcher role this season.
It’s a bit unorthodox, but Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart are both capable defensively and offensively.
Gomes is a right-hander bat and the Cubs spent $6.5 million over two years plus a player option to add left-hander Barnhart.
Both players can easily start.
“I talked with Yan about it,” Barnhart told reporters recently on Zoom. “I want our guys on the mound to, outside of the gear we're wearing or what we look like, to not know who's back there. I think that's when pitching staffs reach the highest potential, because we're all on the same page. They trust us.”
Barnhart won Gold Gloves in 2017 and ’20 with the Cincinnati Reds, but struggled last season with the Detroit Tigers.
Clearly, the Cubs saw more than enough over Barnhart’s career to offer him an impressive contract.
“I grew so much in Detroit,” Barnhart said. “I think when you're in spots where you have to kind of dig yourself out, you learn the most about yourself. And you learn like how to persevere through those situations.”
Barnhart hit just .221 with one home run and 16 RBI with the Tigers last season.
But he has compiled 52 homers and 277 RBI in nine career seasons.
It's a good problem for any team.
If one player suffers an injury, the other can easily step in.
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