Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
That news of Austin Barnes being designated for assignment yesterday came as a shock to many showed just how sustained his presence had become with the Dodgers, almost as if he’d never leave no matter what else happened. Somehow though, he was only with the team for the last 11 years instead of decades, though he’ll always be tightly linked to this current run of success because he acquired in one of the first major trades of the Andrew Friedman era.
While Barnes was technically the backup catcher for his entire career — whether it be to Yasmani Grandal or Russell Martin or Will Smith — until very recently he was who the Dodgers turned to when it mattered most.
Barnes, every year in the playoffs: pic.twitter.com/nHP0xn8Ott
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) October 29, 2020
Indeed, despite the All-Stars ahead of him, it was Barnes who was the primary catcher in the 2017 World Series — that he should’ve won — and he did the same for most of the World Series the next year as well. He also eventually started the majority of the 2020 World Series, including catching the final out.
Arguably though, his greatest moment was a little single off Blake Snell, who in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series was looking invincible. That single led to Kevin Cash coming to yank him from the game, and the rest is history.
This doesn't have his most iconic moment. pic.twitter.com/RwI0DmD1hy https://t.co/UYSDNiGY5G
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) May 15, 2025
Barnes was also pivotal in Game 3 of that same World Series, where he showcased his willingness to do whatever it took with a squeeze and then a homer to put insurance up for the team.
Speaking of the playoffs, he ended up with the third-most appearances (34) for a catcher in franchise history, and the fourth-most World Series appearances (16). So yeah, a backup catcher … but not really.
Following his breakout 2017 in which he hit .289/.408/.486/.895, he eventually settled for a .223/.322/.338/.660 career line with the team, but as Dave Roberts said, Barnes’ main value was away from the sight of fans, as a game planner, game caller (a consistently great blocker as well), and teammate.
Dave Roberts on Austin Barnes: “Austin is a guy that's far beyond the numbers. He’s a glue guy. He held guys accountable. He was tough. He had a very innate ability to get big hits, and he was respected across the board.”
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 14, 2025
That made his true value difficult to measure, but despite the analytical reputation of this front office, they certainly felt his intangibles were actually quite tangible to the success of the club, hence his lengthy tenure with a team that has had World Series ambitions since he arrived. And despite it being his time to leave, hopefully fans will remember everything Barnes has contributed over the last decade-plus and let him know their appreciation for it whenever he returns.
Thank you Austin for all the contributions you made in Dodger blue and helping to bring two championships to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/QvSi9J4612
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 14, 2025
