March 27th, 2021 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka To say that 31-year-old Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes and 25-year-old Dodgers catcher Will Smith have both had good Spring Training camps would be an injustice; they have both had great Spring Training camps.
Aside from their excellent defense and with only four Spring Training games remaining (including the three-game Freeway Series back in Southern California against the Angels of Anaheim), Barnes is slashing .333 / .455 / .556 / 1.010 with one home run, three doubles, and five RBI; and Smith .333 / .385 / .472 / .857 with one home run, two doubles, and six RBI.
Great indeed.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
So who, then, will be the Dodgers so-called primary catcher, and who will be the so-called back-up catcher? The simple answer would be one and then the other. But there is more to it than just a simple answer.
“Obviously, things can change; you’ve got to be nimble, but I think that I feel very confident with both guys,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts answered during his pregame Zoom media scrum on Friday afternoon. “But if you’re talking about 162 games, I would say … I would expect, right now, Will to take down a few more starts than Austin.”
Although exactly what ‘a few more starts’ means is subject to interpretation, one has to believe that it won’t be many.
But don’t feel too sorry for Barnes. As he has shown us time and again, he can play multiple defensive positions exceptionally well when needed to give guys an occasional blow, whereas as Smith has been used exclusively as a catcher, stay for the handful of times he was used as a designated hitter.
And then there’s that injury bug thing. It goes without saying that catchers are at higher risk of injury than any other position on the field except for pitchers. And though this is not something that we like to talk or even think about, it can and does happen. Fortunately for the Dodgers, they will have 22-year-old top-ranked catching prospect Keibert Ruiz down on the farm – presumably at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
While there are many Austin Barnes fans out there, it is impossible to think that in the not too distant future, Ruiz will eventually join Smith as the Dodgers two primary backstops, especially when you consider that Barnes becomes a free agent after the 2022 season.
Stay tuned…
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Article above got it right…Smith and Barnes are a tag-team that will match up nicely against our catching needs in 2021. Smith is definitely our no. 1 with Barnes a worry-free partner in crime. Someone’s offense will falter a bit, most likely Barnes if he doesn’t get enough AB’s.
People forget Barnes can play second; wouldn’t mind seeing him given a chance to hit often enough to stay sharp. This article implies he can play more than catcher and second base? Was not aware of that. Probably irrelevant since we’re not seeing him anyplace but catcher this spring?
I also liked that Cervanka mentions Ruiz’s future with the Dodgers in a positive light. Barnes’ contract is not a true obstacle to Ruiz as a backup catcher with bench presence. Seems a lot will depend on how well the Smith/Barnes tandem works this season.
Maybe Austin can see handwriting on the wall and turned it on this spring to make sure Ruiz’s doesn’t take over just yet?
Smith’s value is in his offense, Barne’s in his defense. Ruiz is ready now to contribute, and Diego Cartaya is considered a can’t miss catcher with both offense and defense. The Dodgers recently signed two, teenage Venezuela catchers with exceptional talent, and they drafted/signed catcher Carson Taylor last June (5th rd, draft eligible sophomore) out of Virgina Tech who is a switch hitter with excellent catching skills. It will not surprise me to see Smith playing another position in 2022 with Barnes and Ruiz sharing catching duties.