Chicago White Sox: This catcher would be the perfect addition

The Chicago White Sox had some issues with the catcher position in 2021. Yasmani Grandal is one of the best in the league in terms of offense but his defense leaves a lot to be desired. He had issues with passed balls and throwing out baserunners trying to steal on him.

He also dealt with some injuries and a surgery that might have hindered him defensively so that would be on the White Sox for not making him a DH. He was clearly a different (for the better) offensively after coming back from surgery but the catching was not good enough.

Zack Collins and Seby Zavala had their moments but they are not suited for the full-time second catcher position. They need to go out and add someone that can help Grandal defensively. He and his .939 OPS certainly doesn’t need help with his bat but the White Sox need more with the glove if they want to take the next step.

Tucker Barnhart is the player that they need to go out and get if they can. If he wants to come to play for a contender that is willing to pay for him, the Chicago White Sox would be the perfect place for him. Grandal is certainly the number one guy but these two together would make a very good duo.

The Chicago White Sox would have a lot of good options if they signed Tucker Barnhart.

They could even use Grandal as a designated hitter with Barnhart behind the plate. That might be the best way for the Chicago White Sox to win baseball games. It would improve their organization in every way to bring in a catcher that can do the things defensively that Barnhart can.

Barnhard is a very mediocre (and maybe even below average) hitter. In 2021, he slashed .247/.317/.368 with an OPS of .685 which is awful. He had 7 home runs and 48 RBIs to go with 41 runs scored during the year as well. He does, however, have two Gold Gloves so you see his worth in that alone. Even when you just watch him play the position, he looks like someone who knows what he’s doing more than his peers.

You may have been paying attention to the 2021 World Series. The Houston Astros have eight good hitters in their lineup and Martin Maldonado who is one of the best defensive catchers in the league. The Astros simply don’t care that he is one of the worst hitters in the league as long as he catches as well as he does. It would be awesome to see the White Sox try and emulate that a little bit next year with Tucker Barnhart.