Never mind that left-hander Wade Miley only pitched in nine games for the Cubs. His glowing review of the organization helped convince catcher Tucker Barnhart that it would be a good landing spot.
“I trust his opinion very much,” Barnhart said in his introductory news conference Wednesday, adding that being close to his Indiana hometown helped. “He said, ‘You know me, man. I’ve been in quite a lot of places, and I’ve played on different sides of the country, for winners, for losers.’ And he said, ‘It’s hard for me to pick a different organization that’s done it better.’ ’’
Miley, who reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Brewers on Wednesday, had a unique vantage point to judge the fit — both ways. He had thrown to Barnhart for two seasons in Cincinnati, and they’d grown close in that time, Barnhart said. Though Miley spent much of last season injured, he traveled with the team while on the injured list, serving as a veteran presence and morale booster.
Miley knew how Barnhart approached working with a pitching staff. And he knew the core of the Cubs’ staff that Barnhart would be handling while splitting time behind the plate with Yan Gomes.
With more than eight years of major-league service time, Barnhart has caught pitching staffs of all makeups. In 2014, his first year, the Reds’ rotation was full of experienced pitchers — Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Alfredo Simon, Homer Bailey. A couple of seasons later, the Reds had a rush of pitcher debuts.
The Cubs have a mix but trend to the younger side with Marcus Stroman and Jameson Taillon, both 31, counting among their veterans.
“Part of our job is being a psychologist in a way,” Barnhart said. “What I mean by that is, when I go to the mound, I’m most likely going to talk to Marcus Stroman, or mention things to Marcus Stroman, differently than I’m gonna say [them] to Kyle Hendricks. And differently from Kyle Hendricks to Jameson Taillon. Everybody ticks differently.”
Barnhart is a defense-first catcher, hitting .245 in his career. And he will be the first to acknowledge that his offense with the Tigers last season leaves a lot to be desired. He hit .221, his worst average in a season with at least 150 plate appearances. He called the performance “rock bottom.”
“I took that into the offseason as motivation,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed my work more this offseason, and I’m looking forward to bouncing back.”
