With team mascot Gapper, longtime announcer Marty Brennaman and several past, present and future players on hand, several hundred fans showed up for the Reds Caravan at Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis on Saturday (Jan. 27).  One youngster carried a homemade sign that read:  “Tucker, your uncle is my UPS driver.” 

“Yeah, my uncle really is his UPS driver,” said Cincinnati catcher Tucker Barnhart with a chuckle.  Barnhart, an Indianapolis native, was Indiana’s Mr. Baseball in 2009 when he played for Brownsburg High School.  He drove to the mall from Zionsville, where he and his wife Sierra make their home with their son Tatum Elliott, who was born last August 31.  

“He’s going to be five months old next week,” said Barnhart.  “He’s growing like a weed.”  Asked if the little guy is right-handed or a southpaw, Tucker grinned and said:  “I don’t know yet.  Hopefully, left-handed.  That’d be cool!” 

Tatum isn’t the only child who’ll be influenced by his big-league dad.  The day before the Reds Caravan came to Indianapolis, Brownsburg Little League announced plans to name its new complex at a yet-be-determined site “Tucker Barnhart Field,” after one of its most accomplished alumni.  

League officials, who say Barnhart is a favorite among players, hope to have a timeline update in the next few months.  The complex will include at least 10 fields for both baseball and softball.  The Reds Community Fund, through donations by Barnhart and other players, will contribute at least $50,000 to the project.  

“I grew up here in Brownsburg,” said Barnhart, “(and) the Little League and school corporation have meant so much to me and helped me get to where I am.  To be able to have my name on a baseball field is incredible.” 

The past five months have been very special for Barnhart, who turned 27 on January 7.  For the third consecutive season, he took over Cincinnati’s everyday catching chores after Devin Mesoraco was sidelined by injury.  The switch-hitting Barnhart responded with a .270 average in 121 games and provided outstanding work behind the plate.  

When the 2017 Gold Glove winners were announced last November, he beat out Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals and Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants as the National League’s top defensive catcher.  “I’m the first guy since 2007 not named Posey or Molina to win it,” joked Tucker, who became the first Reds backstop to earn a Gold Glove since Johnny Bench in 1977.  “It was as good as ever I could imagine,” Barnhart added.  “Winning an award like that, for me, is as good as it gets.” 

Yet the question remains:  Who’ll be the Reds’ starting catcher in 2018 – Mesoraco or Barnhart?  The 29-year-old Mesoraco was an N.L. All-Star in 2014, when he batted .273 with 25 homers and 80 RBI in 114 games.  After the season, Cincinnati rewarded him with a four-year contract worth $28 million.  Assorted injuries limited Mesoraco to just 95 contests over the past three seasons.  He underwent hip surgery in 2015 and a shoulder operation in 2016.  His 2017 season ended last August due to a foot injury. 

Cincinnati signed Barnhart to a four-year, $16 million deal late last September.  “The choice to invest in Tucker was an easy one because you can see how he influences so many other players on the field,” general manager Dick Williams told reporters.  

Barnhart heads to Cincinnati’s spring training camp in Goodyear, Ariz., next month.  The Reds open Cactus League play on February 23 against Cleveland.  Tucker said his 2018 goals include another Gold Glove, and “to win more than we did last year.”  

Was the new contract an indication the Reds are counting on Barnhart for everyday duty this year?  “I have no idea,” said Tucker said.  “I go into every spring training hoping to be the No. 1 guy.  Whether that happens or not, I’m not sure.  But hopefully!”