By Pete Cava
PBR Indiana Correspondent 

The first time Tucker Barnhart went into a crouch at Victory Field, it was in the purple-and-white uniform of Brownsburg High School.  “I played here my sophomore or junior year against Cathedral,” said the switch-hitting catcher.  “It was regular season game – I think a round-robin tournament.” 

For his next contest at the downtown Indianapolis ballpark, Barnhart again wore purple.  This time, however, it was the livery of the Louisville Bats of the International League – the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.  

 “Yeah, I get to wear the same colors I did in high school,” Barnhart said with a grin prior to the April 21 Louisville-Indianapolis Indians contest. “That’s pretty cool.” 

And this time Barnhart – who made his big league debut 18 days earlier against another Brownsburg High School alum – ranks among baseball’s top catching prospects. 

Tucker Jackson Barnhart was born in Indianapolis on January 7, 1991, to an athletic family.  “My mom and uncle played tennis,” he said.  “My dad played basketball, football and baseball, and my grandpa played football and baseball.” 

So it was no surprise when Barnhart’s parents, Kevin and Pam, tucked him into his crib each night with a ball and a glove.  “I grew up playing baseball,” he said.  “My parents say they told people I was five for the longest time, so I could play in leagues when I was actually three or four.”

When Tucker was 11, the Barnharts moved west of Indianapolis to Brownsburg.  A baseball hotbed, the town of 21,000 had sent teams to the Little League World Series in 1999 and 2001.  Two alums would go on to play in the majors:  pitchers Lance Lynn (Cardinals) and Drew Storen (Nationals). 

“I wasn't old enough to play with Lance,” said Barnhart.  “Lance was on the 1999 team.  But 2001, yeah, I was fortunate enough to play (Little League ball) with a bunch of those guys – Kyle Waggoner, T.J. Baumet.” 

Keeping a close eye on Barnhart’s performance in Little League was Patrick O’Neil, who coached Lynn, Waggoner and Baumet at Brownsburg High School.  “I knew he’d be something special because of the passion he plays with and his baseball IQ,” O’Neil told Indianapolis Star reporter Nat Newell. 

In 2006, Barnhart’s freshman year, O’Neil named him Brownsburg’s starting catcher.  “He taught me how to play the right way and had a lot of influence on me in my baseball career,” Tucker said.  

Drew Storen, a junior that year, was another veteran of the 2001 Brownsburg Little League team.  “I caught Drew when I was a freshman and sophomore,” said Barnhart.  “We got to know each other, and we have a really good relationship.” 

Storen wasn’t Barnhart’s only Brownsburg schoolmate who reached the pro ranks.  Gordon Hayward, a former Butler University basketball star, went on to play for the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz, while Chris Jones went from Bowling Green to the National Football League.  Jones is currently a defensive tackle for the New England Patriots. 

“Gordon and I played tennis together (in middle school),” said Barnhart.  “I never played with Chris.  He was a classmate.  We all keep in touch, but I talk to Drew more often.” 

As a junior in 2008, Barnhart averaged .500 and was named to the Louisville Slugger High School All-America squad.  Colleges like Louisville, Oklahoma State and North Carolina expressed interest.  At the outset of his senior year, he committed to Georgia Tech. 

Barnhart hit .348 in 2009 to win the Gatorade Mr. Baseball award for Indiana.  In the June draft, the Reds selected him in the tenth round (299^th overall).  Due to Tucker’s size – he was generously listed as 5-foot-11, 180 pounds – there was talk of a position shift.  He had been an infielder (primarily a shortstop) before moving behind the plate.  

“I’m just ready to get out there and play,” he told the Indianapolis Star.  “I’m ready to show everyone what I can do.  And I’m confident of my ability (and) that I’ll be able to stand out in a good way, and just play the game the right way – the way it’s supposed to be played.” 

Barnhart signed on August 4, 2009.  He joined the Reds’ squad in the rookie Gulf Coast League and batted .208 in 14 games.  He opened the 2010 campaign with the Billings, Mont., Mustangs (rookie Pioneer), where he hit .306 in 35 contests.  

In 2011, Barnhart’s defensive work for the Dayton, Ohio, Dragons (low-A Midwest) earned high praise from Freddie Benavides, Cincinnati’s minor league field coordinator.  “I think he’s a solid catcher,” Benavides told the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun.  “He’ll hit enough, but defense is what they look for first.  He knows how to call a game, and he’s got a great head on his shoulders.” 

That summer, Barnhart committed just two errors in 97 games and was named to the Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove team.  Only nine players were selected, one per position, from all levels of the minor leagues.

“Defense is what I take most pride in,” said Barnhart.  “I know that what everyone looks at the most is offensive stats.   But a team’s ERA and stuff like that are really huge.  When you’re at the plate, you have eight other guys that can pick you up offensively.  But defensively, when you’re catching and manning a pitching staff, if you make a mistake there’s nobody else that can pick you up.”

Barnhart opened 2012 with the Bakersfield Blaze (high-A California), where he continued to rank among the top minor league catchers.  He hit .278 and was voted the league’s top defensive catcher.  Describing him as “a solid receiver with an extremely quick release,” Baseball America gave Barnhart its Captain’s Catcher’s Award as the minor leagues’ top defensive backstop.

Barnhart’s success led to a promotion to Pensacola, Fla. (AA Southern), where he hit .200 in 41 games.  Back with the Blue Wahoos for 2013, Barnhart – who began switch-hitting when he was 9 or 10 – changed to a lighter bat.  “I was using a 33 ½-inch bat, and then I went down to a 33-inch bat, which is the size I used in high school,” he explained.  

The half-inch difference paid dividends.  Barnhart hit .260 and made the Southern League All-Star team.  After the season, Baseball America lauded his catch-and-throw and contact-hitting skills and predicted the possibility of “a long career at a valuable defensive spot.” 

Shortly before Thanksgiving, the Reds added Barnhart to their 40-man roster.  Projected to start the 2014 campaign at Louisville, he made Cincinnati’s opening day roster when everyday Reds catcher Devon Mesoraco went on the disabled list with a strained oblique. 

Brayan Pena replaced Mesoraco, with Barnhart as his understudy.  “It’s a dream come true,” Tucker said. 

For the March 31 opener at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark, the Reds hosted the St. Louis Cardinals and Lance Lynn, who remembered Tucker from Bownsburg.  Lynn told Indianapolis Star reporter Mark Ambrogi that Barnhart “was that kid that was always around coming to the baseball camps in junior high.” 

“He was a senior when I was an eighth-grader,” said Barnhart, “but I know Lance pretty well.  I used to go to a bunch of camps.  I’d hang around the field and do their batboy stuff when I wasn’t playing.” 

During batting practice on opening day, Lynn told Barnhart there was a good chance they would face each other in the third game of the series.  Sure enough, Lynn started for the Cardinals on April 3 with Barnhart catching and batting eighth for Cincinnati.  Kevin and Pam Barnhart were on hand, along with other family members and friends.  “I had a full pass list,” said Tucker, “and I know there were other people that bought tickets and came down.”   

Barnhart led off the bottom of the second.  “It was something I’ll never forget,” Tucker recalled.  “It was special to see (Lynn) out there and give him a little wry smile.” 

Lynn got Barnhart on a grounder to short and the Cardinals went on to win 7-6.   By the time Mesoraco came off the disabled list, Tucker had made a strong impression.  “He’s done a remarkable job in pitch selection and working with the starting pitchers and the bullpen,” Reds manager Bryan Price told the Cincinnati Enquirer.  “I think he’s going to be an outstanding player.  I really do.” 

When Mesoraco was activated on April 7, Cincinnati optioned Barnhart to Louisville, where he joined veteran catchers Max Ramirez and Corky Miller.  Ramirez, 29, had played for the Texas Rangers and for Team Venezuela in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.  The 38-year-old Miller had spent time with the Reds, Twins, Red Sox, Braves and White Sox.  “Max and Corky are great,” said Barnhart.  “They have a wealth of information.”

Barnhart ribs Miller about his lengthy career, which dates back to 1998.  “The first day we got here to Indy, I joked with Corky that I watched him play on this field when I was in high school,” he said.  “I give him a tough time about that.”

According to Barnhart, the Reds want him to continue to perfect his catching skills while working on his hitting.  “I’m toying with a few things right now, and we’re working towards getting consistency,” he said.  “I think I’m a better left-handed hitter, but my right-hand swing is getting there.” 

Barnhart, who’s now 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, hopes he’s proven that size doesn’t matter when it comes to catching.  “I know my opinion’s a little biased, because I am a smaller-stature catcher,” he said.  “But I think the game is turning back towards pitching and defense.  I think the age of the big catcher is starting to phase out, because it’s harder on the body of a guy who’s six-three, six-four to catch every day.   It’s tougher for them to go up and down, and go into a squat, because of the pressure it puts on your knees.”

He also has his sights set on a permanent return to the Reds.  “I signed out of high school not to be a minor league player,” said Barnhart.  “I signed to be a major league player.  I’m looking forward to getting back to that level.”