Jake Dicker
Today, the Dodgers optioned catcher Austin Barnes to Oklahoma City, where he will join the Dodgers Triple AAA affiliate, the Oklahoma City Dodgers. J.P. Hoornstra broke the news on Twitter. This is a move fans have been calling for and it was only a matter of time before it was made. To counter the move, catcher Will Smith, who has already made a large impact on the big league club, will be recalled to join the Dodgers in Washington D.C. this weekend.
Barnes was called up in 2015, but did not receive normal playing time until 2017, where he played in 102 games. He provided a lot for Dodger fans to be excited about, hitting .289 while posting a .408 OBP and .895 OPS. Since 2017, his performance has been nothing close to that of 2017, and he has been virtually unplayable the last few months. In 2018, while splitting time with Yasmani Grandal, Barnes hit .205, and this year is hitting below .200. In an organization with young, promising catching prospects in Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz, there is just no room for Barnes on the major league roster.
Austin Barnes has been optioned to Oklahoma City. #Dodgers
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) July 25, 2019
Oh, that’s too bad. I liked Barnes. I knew he was slumping and the stupid umpire calls didn’t help. those bad calls have been happening all year. ( Bring on the machines!) I have often wondered and mention in these comments, Do the umpires look at the game replays to see how good or bad their calls are? If they do, why haven’t they been better? If they don’t well they very well should. I was hoping Barnes would get better and I hope he does. good luck Barnes, come back soon.
I would assume they do. Just like players, they are always trying to get better. That being said, a strike/ball call is a split second decision. It is not that easy to just “be better”.