Tucker Jackson Barnhart (born January 7, 1991) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

in the Texas Rangers organization. He has previously played in MLB for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

, and

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. Barnhart made his MLB debut in 2014 and won the

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual Fielding (baseball), fielding performances. It is awar ...

in 2017 and 2020.

Early life

Barnhart was born in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, the son of Kevin and Pam Barnhart, and brother to Paige. When Tucker was 11, the family moved west of Indianapolis to

Brownsburg, Indiana Brownsburg is a town in Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was recorded as 28,973 residents. History Brownsburg was first settled in 1824 by James B. Brown. Delaware Indians lived in what is now call ...

. He attended

Brownsburg High School Brownsburg High School is a public high school located in Brownsburg, Indiana. The school is located within the Brownsburg Community School Corporation, which is in Hendricks County. The district includes the majority of Brownsburg and small po ...

and played for the school's baseball team. As a junior in 2008, he hit .500 and was named to the

Louisville Slugger Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

High School All-American team. In his senior year at Brownsburg, he was named "Mr. Baseball" for the state of

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. Prior to his senior season, Barnhart committed to attend the

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...

on a baseball scholarship to play for the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...

Professional career

Cincinnati Reds (2009–2021)

Minor leagues

Heading into the

2009 Major League Baseball draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

, ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' rated Barnhart as the best available player from Indiana. Due to his commitment to Georgia Tech, he fell to the 10th round, when he was chosen by the

with the 299th overall selection. Barnhart opted to sign with the Reds, rather than enroll at Georgia Tech. In 2010, Barnhart played for the

Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Deh ...

of the

Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

Pioneer League. In 2011, he played for the

Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark. In 2011, they broke the record for most ...

of the Single–A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He spent the 2012 season with the

Bakersfield Blaze The Bakersfield Blaze were a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California. They played in the California League at the Class A-Advanced level, hosting home games at Sam Lynn Ballpark. Opened in 1941, the stadium is well known for facing ...

of the High–A

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

and

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

of the Double–A Southern League. He played for Pensacola in 2013, and was named a Southern League All-Star. The Reds added Barnhart to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

on November 20, 2013.

Major leagues

With

Devin Mesoraco Devin Douglas Mesoraco (born June 19, 1988) is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball catcher, who is the current catching coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers baseball, Pittsburgh Panthers. He has played in Major League Baseb ...

beginning the 2014 season on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

, Barnhart made the Reds' 2014

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster, as a backup to

Brayan Peña Brayan Eduardo Peña (born January 7, 1982) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. He ...

. Barnhart made his major league debut on April 3 against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. Starting at catcher (with

Homer Bailey David Dewitt "Homer" Bailey Jr. (born May 3, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds from 2007 through 2018, the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics in 2019 ...

the starting pitcher) and batting eighth, he went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. Two days later, he got his first big-league hit, a single off

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

pitcher

Dillon Gee Dillon Kyle Gee (born April 28, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins. In addit ...

; for the game, Barnhart went 2-for-4. Barnhart was

optioned In the film industry, an option agreement is a contract that "rents" the rights to a source material to a potential film producer. It grants the film producer the exclusive option to purchase rights to the source material if they live up to the te ...

to the

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

on April 7, when Mesoraco was activated. He was later recalled by the Reds, and on May 1, he hit his first major league home run, a fifth-inning solo shot off the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

' Marco Estrada. He was optioned back to Louisville on May 18. On July 6, with Peña on the paternity list and also forced to play more at first base due to injuries, the Reds recalled Barnhart. Barnhart was optioned back to Louisville on July 11. Due to injuries to Mesoraco, Barnhart started 67 games at catcher for the Reds in 2015 and 108 games in 2016. On September 22, 2017, Barnhart signed a four-year contract extension with the Reds, worth $16 million, plus a $7.5 million club option for the 2022 season. He led National League catchers in wins above replacement and

caught stealing In baseball, a runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time caught stealing when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder wh ...

percentage. He also led the major leagues in runners caught stealing (32). After the 2017 season, he won his first

, the first by a Reds catcher since

Johnny Bench Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from to , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of the ...

's 10-year run from 1968-77. In June 2019, he suffered a moderate abdominal and oblique strain, and was placed on the injured list. In late August 2019, he gave up switch hitting and became a left-handed hitter. In 2020 for the Reds, Barnhart played in 38 games, batting .204/.291/.388 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. After the season, he was rewarded the

for NL catchers, the second Gold Glove Award of his career. On May 7, 2021, Barnhart caught

Wade Miley Wade Allen Miley (born November 13, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Balti ...

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

. He finished the 2021 season batting .247/.317/.368 with 7 home runs and 48 RBIs in 116 games.

Detroit Tigers (2022)

On November 3, 2021, the Reds traded Barnhart to the

in exchange for

Nick Quintana Nicholas Ryan Quintana (born October 13, 1997) is an American former professional baseball infielder. Amateur career Quintana attended the University of Arizona following a high school career at Arbor View High School in Las Vegas. He was named t ...

. On November 7, the Tigers exercised the $7.5 million option for Barnhart for the 2022 season. Barnhart batted .221 with a .554

on-base plus slugging On-base plus slugging (OPS) is a sabermetric baseball statistic calculated as the sum of a player's on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The ability of a player both to get on base and to hit for power, two important offensive skills, are ...

in 94 games for the Tigers in 2022.

Chicago Cubs (2023)

On December 29, 2022, Barnhart signed a two-year, major league contract worth $6.5 million with the

. In 44 games for the Cubs, he batted .202 with one home run and nine RBIs. On August 19, 2023, Barnhart was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by Chicago. He was released by the Cubs the next day.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On August 30, 2023, Barnhart signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. In seven games for the Triple-A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

, he went 5–for–22 (.227) with no home runs and one RBI. Barnhart elected free agency following the season on November 6.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On January 2, 2024, Barnhart signed a minor league contract with the

. On March 25, the Diamondbacks select Barnhart's contract after he made the

roster as the backup catcher. In 31 games for Arizona, he hit .173/.287/.210 with no home runs, six RBI, and one stolen base. Barnhart was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks on July 2. He was released by the organization on July 6.

Cincinnati Reds (second stint)

On August 6, 2024, Barnhart signed a minor league contract with the

organization. In 21 games for the Triple–A

, he slashed .187/.247/.253 with no home runs and six RBI. Barnhart elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Texas Rangers

On December 14, 2024, Barnhart signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He began the 2025 season with the Triple-A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

, hitting .246 with two home runs and 12 RBI over 20 games. On April 30, 2025, the Rangers selected Barnhart's contract, adding him to their active roster. In eight appearances for Texas, he went 3-for-13 (.231) with one walk. Barnhart was designated for assignment on June 1. He elected free agency after clearing waivers on June 3. Barnhart re-signed with Texas on a minor league contract the following day.

Personal life

Barnhart and his wife, Sierra, married in November 2015. They welcomed their first child, a son, in September 2017. Their second son was born in 2020. Barnhart grew up just west of Indianapolis in the city of Brownsburg and now resides just northwest of Indianapolis. He is a childhood friend of

Gordon Hayward Gordon Daniel Hayward (born March 23, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Oklahoma City Thunder. ...

and

Drew Storen Drew Patrick Storen (born August 11, 1987) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Cincinnati Reds. The Nats sel ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnhart, Tucker 1991 births Living people Baseball players from Indianapolis Major League Baseball catchers Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Chicago Cubs players Arizona Diamondbacks players Texas Rangers players Gulf Coast Reds players Billings Mustangs players Dayton Dragons players Bakersfield Blaze players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Glendale Desert Dogs players Louisville Bats players Gold Glove Award winners Oklahoma City Dodgers players Round Rock Express players