4 Chicago Cubs players fans are losing patience with

4 Chicago Cubs players fans are losing patience with - Tucker Barnhart

The Cubs made the conscious decision to go pitching and defense first with their catchers this year, paving the way for Yan Gomes and Tucker Barnhart to be the main tandem behind the dish. While Gomes has become an invaluable member of the team, fans aren't nearly as pleased with Barnhart. Yes, he was brought on because of his reputation for his stellar work with pitchers over the years (he's been a positive framer so far in 2023), but the bat has given them nothing so far with a 28(!) wRC+.

Expect the criticism against Barnhart to ramp up in the coming weeks when Amaya gets sent down too. Despite being a rookie, Amaya has already gotten rave reviews for his maturity and guidance behind the plate from Hayden Wesneski and even Jameson Taillon. The fact that the Cubs even gave Amaya the start when Wesneski was up in the rotation speaks to their confidence in his proficiency with those soft factors behind the plate. He does all that while simply showing more talent than Barnhart at the plate right now

It's totally understandable that Amaya will be and should be sent back down to Triple-A given his lack of experience in the high minors. The fact that he looked so good in his first stint in the big leagues, however, means it'll only draw more ire toward Barnhart's offensive struggles. It's hard to accept having him share time with Gomes when there's an option that seems better in every way just lying around.