Dodgers: Austin Barnes plate approach could solve his problems

Through the Dodger Stadium corridors walked a catcher that was standing in the shade of a shadow cast by the success of the player reaping the benefits of far more success than he was.

When 2017 closed and 2018 began, Austin Barnes was poised to, if not take over the catching role, at least step in as an equal to Yasmani Grandal. But, at-bat after at-bat and frustrating ground ball after frustrating ground ball, the Arizona State University product once looked at as the potential heir to the Dodger catching throne was simply a backup and a less attractive alternative to the colossal home run hitting Grandal.

For Barnes, his problems were rooted in his splits.

Against right-handed pitching, he hit just .151. Against lefties, although not much better than the other, Barnes mustered a .246 batting average. His struggles were obvious against either side of the mound, the underlying reason was much less clear.

In 2018 Barnes also had a contact issue. He hit grounders at a rate far higher than almost every other major league baseball player and he made solid contact at a measly 1.2 percent clip- the glaring red flag in Barnes’ groundball struggles

All of his issues worked like dominoes, one led to another and they all fell down.

With unsolid contact being made, 46.3 percent of balls were topped and his ground ball percent was an astronomical 56.0 percent.

Barnes’ biggest issue was balls were headed down.

Just like 56 percent of baseballs he put in play, the then 28-year-old backstop’s confidence, and the confidence of his critics were in the ground.

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But, as the sun rose over Camelback Ranch in Arizona this spring, it symbolized a potential new beginning for Barnes, who’s time behind the plate as a Dodger could be coming to an end with Keibert Ruiz and Will Smith hot on his tail.

For Barnes, the spring of 2019 and the subsequent season would be an opportunity to prove he is more than a backup. So far, he’s done that.

The most glaring improvement over the course of spring training was Barnes ability to put the bull in the air. Whether that was for a single, a home run or even a flyout, the results were highly encouraging.

Barnes top heavy hitting tendencies looked more like the opposite right out the gate this year.

He was getting under the ball.

That improvement is massive. By getting under the baseball, Barnes should be able to plant more balls in the outfield rather than keep his offense contained within the infield dirt.

Those results were apparent on Opening Day. Barnes went 3-4 at the plate with a home run and two runs scored. It’s very early but very encouraging.

Last year, Barnes was lucky in a way. His issue was grounders and contact and it was incredibly frustrating.

But, look at the big picture and notice that Barnes problem was highly fixable. A different swing or approach at the plate would make all the difference and through one regular season game and a few spring appearances, Barnes looks like he has the right idea.

The reaction to the success is knee-jerkish, yes. But, this is more a matter of concept right now.

What is the offensive mindset for 2019? Will Barnes have a different one from the season that he, and many others, would deem a massively unsuccessful?

With Grandal gone, it is Barnes’ time to shine. He is just hoping to do so with a lot more fly balls.