Cincinnati Reds: Tucker Barnhart’s change invites platoon with Curt Casali

Tucker Barnhart is no longer a switch-hitter. Hitting exclusively from the left side, the Cincinnati Reds catcher will likely platoon with Curt Casali.

Who will be the Cincinnati Reds starting catcher on Opening Day? Well, that might all depend on who the opposing starting pitcher is. Tucker Barnhart, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, is abandoning the idea of being a switch-hitter, and will hit exclusively from the left side. Look for David Bell to platoon both Barnhart and Curt Casali based on the pitching matchup.

We saw glimpses of this last season. While Barnhart was the starting catcher, both he and Casali shared time behind the plate. Barnhart started 87 games at catcher and Casali put on the tools of ignorance for 57 starts.

Kyle Farmer, Juan Graterol and Ryan Lavarnway also saw at least one start behind the dish during the 2019 season. With the infield running thin on depth, and Bell insisting he’d like to get Farmer some time at shortstop, it’s unlikely we’ll see anyone other than Barnhart and Casali suit up to play catcher outside of an emergency.

Neither Barnhart nor Casali tore it up offensively last season. Tucker slashed .231/.328/.380, while Curt put up a slash line of .251/.331/.411. However, the duo collectively produced 19 home runs and 72 RBIs. Only All-Stars J.T. Realmuto, Gary Sanchez and Yasmani Grandal surpassed both those statistical categories on their own.

So, while a lot of Cincinnati Reds fans bemoaned the lack of production from the catcher’s spot last season, collectively, Tucker Barnhart and Curt Casali put up decent numbers. With Barnhart no longer batting from the right-side, he may see an improvement in his numbers at the dish.

Versus left-handed pitchers as a right-handed batter, Barnhart was 6-for-40 (.150) with just on extra-base hit and an OPS of .436. However, batting from the left-side against right-handed pitchers, Tucker was 67-for-271 (.247) with all of his home runs (11) and 13 of his 14 doubles coming as a left-handed batter.

Curt Casali’s splits aren’t dramatic enough against left-handed or right-handed pitchers to warrant a deep dive. Casali’s OPS is just 11 points better against righties (.745) than it is against southpaws (.734). However, one look at Barnhart’s career-splits shows that he fairs much better against right-handed pitchers (.727 OPS) than his does against lefties (.585 OPS).

There’s also the matter of top catching prospect Tyler Stephenson. The 23-year-old, who could make his major league debut this season, is a right-handed hitter who owns lefties. Last season while playing in Double-A Chattanooga, Stephenson slashed .333/.393/.410 against southpaws.

With Stephenson’s ascension to the bigs quickly coming down the pike, a change on the part of of Barnhart may have been inevitable. Switching to the left-side exclusively will help the Cincinnati Reds, not only this season, but in the future as well.