Barnhart embracing role as Cubs' backstop psych

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Tucker Barnhart can remember the precise moment when he realized he needed to grow as a catcher.

It was 2015, his second year in the big leagues, and he was behind the plate for the Reds. Starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen was having a rough outing, so Barnhart went out to the mound for a visit and laid into him.

“He looked at me and said, ‘Whose team are you on?’” Barnhart recalled. “I was like, ‘Wait a minute. What? I’m on your team and I want you to have success, and I want you to succeed.’

“It was counterproductive in a way because it had him questioning what my motives were. I respond best to that type of coaching or that type of conversation, but it made me realize not all people do. I owe him a lot for that.”

That moment -- and Barnhart’s continued maturation behind the plate -- led to him winning Gold Gloves in 2017 and '20 and eventually signing with the Cubs on Dec. 29.

Chicago wanted to emphasize defense at the position after Willson Contreras signed with St. Louis, so it brought in Barnhart to serve as, in manager David Ross’ words, a “co-starter” with veteran Yan Gomes.

Ross knows Barnhart well. He admired him from afar when he was catching for the Cubs and Barnhart was winning his Gold Gloves with Cincinnati, and that admiration has only grown during Spring Training.

“His passion for his craft, the work ethic, the investment in the pitchers on and off the field,” Ross said, “those are the things that have really stood out to me. … The reputation you hear from guys that were here last year, like Wade Miley [who pitched for the Reds in 2020 and '21], is that they love throwing to him, and all that stuff has been reiterated since he’s been here.”

Jameson Taillon became a member of Barnhart’s fan club Saturday after throwing three scoreless innings against the Angels with Barnhart behind the plate.

“A day like today, I landed some curveballs early and Tucker just kept going to it because I was landing it,” Taillon said after the game. “That just tells me he’s paying attention. It takes a lot off my plate when those guys [Barnhart and Gomes] are doing their homework. I don’t really love thinking out there. I just like making my pitches and kind of following them. So, they’re already earning that trust.”

As he sipped a cup of coffee in front of his locker before the Cubs' 6-5 win over the Rockies on Sunday, Barnhart talked passionately about the traits a catcher needs to successfully handle a pitching staff. Part of the job, Barnhart said, is being a psychologist, taking the time to get to know each pitcher so he can then bring the best out of them.

“I think, first and foremost, you have to understand that each guy’s different,” he said. “They tick differently. Some guys like to hear certain things about mechanics. Other guys like to just get pat on the back and told, ‘Hey, everything’s going to be all right. We’re good.’ Some guys want to just talk about what you’re going to do after the game. They want to get their mind off of it.

“So, I think it starts with understanding who’s out there on the mound. Past that, you have to be invested. You have to be prepared. It’s a lot easier to have a conversation when you show guys that you’re genuinely invested in what they’re doing. And them as people, too.”

Barnhart said he tried to model his game after longtime Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, and he was shocked when one of the first text messages he received after winning his first Gold Glove was from the likely future Hall of Famer himself.

“I didn’t have [Molina's] number, and I didn’t think he had mine, but he found it and got ahold of me,” Barnhart said. “That was special.”

As the end of the 2021 campaign approached and Barnhart understood he and Lorenzen were probably playing their last season for the Reds, he pulled the pitcher aside and thanked him for their on-mound exchange six years earlier.

“It’s funny how that works,” Barnhart said. “You take so much time and effort on the physical side of things that there’s this whole other element of psychology of pitchers and the game that you have to be very invested in. It took me a while to kind of figure that out.”

Smyly roughed up
Cubs starter Drew Smyly threw two innings Sunday, giving up six hits and three earned runs. In two Cactus League starts, Smyly has allowed five earned runs in four innings.