The Reds have signed a draft pick who had slipped to the later rounds because of signability concerns and a commitment to Georgia Tech. The Reds selected Tucker Barnhart, high school catcher from Brownsburg, Indiana, and 2009 Indiana Mr. Baseball, in the 10th round of the June amateur draft. Barnhart was graded by many as 3rd-4th round talent. Baseballdraftreport.com ranked him 7th on their list of top 20 high school catchers.
7. Tucker Barnhart (Indiana) – slight of frame (5-10ish, 170), but a very valuable defensive player with a knack for squaring up balls; routinely shows off well above-average footwork behind plate; known to chart pitches and do advance scouting on future opponents on his high school team’s off days; another player who may be best served heading off to the Asher Roth approved world of college, he’s a Georgia Tech commit who could grow into a premium draft in three years; if he can’t catch full-time, I’d love to see what he could do at second base – I think he has enough athleticism to handle the switch with enough repetitions
According to reports in the Indianapolis Star, the contract has been agreed to for a while. Barnhart and the team had to wait for approval from the commissioner’s office, which is standard procedure for above draft slot bonuses. The bonus is reportedly in the upper 4th round price range.
Barnhart has kept himself in shape while awaiting the commissioner’s approval and has been in Sarasota the past week working out with the team. He made his debut Tuesday as the designated hitter, batting 2nd. Although he’ll still be looking for his first professional hit in his next game, Barnhart did pick up his first RBI (first inning groundout following a leadoff triple) and his first run scored (walked in the 8th, later scoring on a triple) in what would be a 1-run GCL Reds victory.
There are 3 weeks remaining in the GCL season.
The most prominent Indiana Mr. Baseball, so far? Scott Rolen was named Indiana Mr. Baseball in 1993.