Arlington, Texas — As opinions go, this one is going to be unpopular. Possibly scorned. Mocked even.
Hopefully, you will at least hear me out.
On Tuesday, Tigers manager AJ Hinch said if catcher Jake Rogers plays competitively at all the rest of this season, he expects it will be as a designated hitter. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Rogers’ arm hasn’t been cleared to make the snap and sometimes awkward-angled throws a catcher is required to make.
When a pitcher returns from that surgery, his throws are controlled. The mechanics and arm angle are mostly constant. It’s trickier for any position player.
The Tigers have no certainty right now regarding Rogers heading into 2023.
The hope was — and probably still is — that Rogers and Eric Haase would be the tandem, just as they were in 2021. The thought was Rogers would be catching, if even for a few weeks in September, at the big-league level. That would have given him and the club at least some idea of where he stood going into 2023.
Without that, with less than a month’s worth of at-bats at either Double-A or Triple-A, Rogers will likely have to play somewhere this winter — if that is even possible.
Which means the Tigers will go into next spring with a big, fat question mark at the catcher position.
They are, once again, going to have to sign a veteran catcher. They have to protect themselves against the possibility of Rogers not being ready. And once again, they aren’t going to try to break the bank to buy an elite one — if one were even on the market.
They are going to need a reliable, veteran catcher, preferably someone already familiar with and respected by the pitching staff, someone who has worked within pitching coach Chris Fetter’s program and someone who won’t blow up the payroll.
You already know where I’m going with this.
Why not re-sign Tucker Barnhart?
The first objection, I hear you, will be his offense. For sure, it has been a struggle for him. He’s hitting .208 with a 50 OPS-plus. Just seven extra-base hits, all doubles. No homers. Only 13 RBI. In fairness, he’s also on pace to have the fewest plate appearances since 2015.
The last four weeks, his swings have been vastly better and his production is ticking up. In 12 games in August, he’s hitting .247 with a .317 on-base and a .587 OPS.
He’s a better offensive player than he’s been this season. He’s one of about 10 Tigers we can say that about. He’s going to consider shelving his right-handed swing again, hitting left-handed full-time next year. That’s going to help him, in my opinion. Hitting left-handed against lefties forces a hitter to stay on the baseball and use the entire field, something he got away from this season.
With Barnhart, as it is with most catchers, his offense is a secondary consideration. He has been every bit the two-time Gold-Glove winner he was touted as being. He’s thrown out 18 runners attempting to steal in just 76 games. That’s fourth most in baseball.
The pitching staff, in games he’s caught, has a 3.88 ERA. But that doesn’t even begin to reflect his ability to game plan, to call a game, to make adjustments within the game — within an at-bat sometimes — and to massage pitchers through stressful innings and outings.
Whether he’s catching the big-league debuts of Beau Brieske, Alex Faedo, Garrett Hill or Elvin Rodriguez — or a veteran like Eduardo Rodriguez — they all have unmitigated trust in him.
Not sure the Tigers are going to find that, certainly not within the organization at present — Dillon Dingler isn’t there yet — and not on the free-agent market.
You want names of catchers expected to be free agents this winter? Wilson Contreras and Christian Vazquez will probably be the big-ticket options. The rest include Austin Hedges, Omar Narvaez, Gary Sanchez, Mike Zunino, Jason Castro, Curt Casali, Kevin Plawecki, Roberto Perez, Sandy Leon — pretty much the usual suspects, all over 30.
If the Tigers could figure out a way to trade for or somehow land a younger, potentially everyday catcher — if they have identified a player who may be blocked on a team rich in catching depth — I’m all for it.
But what are the odds?
They have the player they will need in Tucker Barnhart. His $7.5 million is coming off the books. With the season he’s had offensively, going into his age-32 season, it’s doubtful he’ll command half of that salary. But he owes it to himself and his family to try, to seek the best offer he can get.
The Tigers can be proactive here and set the line. One year, $4 million? Who knows? It’s a futile exercise trying to guess these things when there will be a new general manager calling the shots.
What is certain is the Tigers will need to have some veteran assurance at the catcher position going into next spring. And, it says here, they already have that assurance, at what is likely to be an affordable price, on the roster.
Bring him back.
On deck: Rangers
Series: Three games at Globe Life Park
First pitch: Friday – 8:05 p.m.; Saturday – 7:05 p.m.; Sunday – 2:35 p.m.
TV/radio: Friday-Sunday – Bally Sports Detroit/97.1.
Probables: Friday – LHP Tyler Alexander (3-7, 4.03) vs. RHP Glenn Otto (5-8, 4,66); Saturday – LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (2-3, 3.89) vs. TBA; Sunday – RHP Drew Hutchison (1-7, 4.06) vs. TBA.
Alexander, Tigers: He’s allowed three runs or less in five straight starts since rejoining the rotation. His new sweeping slider has been a big weapon for him, even if it’s been in small doses. Hitters are 3-for-29 against that pitch. His x-factor has been his changeup. Since his forearm/elbow injury, he hasn’t always had full extension, full pronation, on that pitch. He had it in his last start and he went six solid innings and earned his first win since July 4.
Otto, Rangers: The Rangers are 4-1 in his last four starts, in which he’s posted a 1.99 ERA and a .163 opponent average. He has five pitches, but his sinker-slider combo has been tougher on left-handed hitters (.623 OPS) than righties (.813). He’s getting a 32% whiff rate with his slider. He’s a nibbler. His walk rate is 12.6%.
Twitter@cmccosky