The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2018 season with one of the more impressive catching tandems in all of baseball, with Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes leading the way both offensively and defensively.
However, the Dodgers’ vaunted duo has only received significant contributions from Grandal thus far. Barnes has taken a step back at the plate after enjoying a career season in 2017, where he later emerged as Los Angeles’ starting catcher in the postseason.
In 140 plate appearances (59 games) thus far, Barnes is batting a mere .207/.343/.267 with five extra-base hits. That’s a far cry from last season’s efficient .289/.408/.486 slash line over 262 trips to the plate, where he struck out only 43 times and drew 39 walks.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts equated Barnes’ struggles due to a lack of confidence at the plate, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I think it’s just more about confidence, for me,” Roberts said when asked to diagnose Barnes’ offensive regression this season. “You see him out there and he’s searching. There’s obviously a mechanics component. But for me, from my seat, you just want the player to feel there’s confidence. When a guy is searching, that’s a tough thing to bet on. Obviously, that comes with results. We just have to keep supporting Austin. He’s working hard.”
While Barnes’ power numbers have particularly seen a significant decline this season, he is still providing value in other areas. For one, the 28-year-old is still reaching base at a high clip.
That’s evidenced by his .343 on-base percentage, which is well above Major League average. Barnes also remains a steady defensive presence at the catcher position, where he has seen the majority of his playing time this season.
Barnes has yet to commit an error in 202.2 innings as a backstop and continues grading out as one of the best pitch framers in all of baseball. He ranks third among qualified catchers with six runs above average, trailing only Grandal the Cleveland Indians’ Yan Gomes.
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