Pregnant Catchers

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A wave of fatherhood has swept through the Reds’ catching core.

Devin Mesoraco was placed on three-day paternity leave last night’s birth of his son, Luke on Sunday night to him and his wife Kira.   Relief pitcher Austin Brice was recalled from Louisville.

The Reds other two catchers, Tucker Barnhart and Stuart Turner are also expectant fathers between the 28th of August and first of September.

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Turner, who was kept on the roster by the Reds’ all season as a Rule V player, is expecting a son, Easton Michael.  It is his first.

“I pre-ordered the catching gear early,” Turner said.  “If he’s a lefty, it will be hard but I can teach him better if he’s a righty.  We were joking if Tucker and I are going on leave together, we’d just put (Jesse) Winker back there as the first lefty catcher. He would be the first lefty catcher, I think.”

Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy had done the research and found that Dale Long, who was a firstbaseman, caught a couple games in the Major Leagues.

“I don’t know why they don’t consider lefties,” Turner said.  “I guess its the throw to thirdbase but we’ve developed the back pick to firstbase.”

Turner has made the most of his time in Cincinnati in spite of scarce playing time.

‘I am enjoying time in the big leagues but it’s hard sometimes to stay engaged. There is no set schedule for when you’re going to play," Turner said.  “It is everybody’s dream to be in the big leagues but you play baseball so you can play.  You have to make the most of your opportunities. I will do my best and stick around for as long as they want me.”

Turner’s wife, Danielle, is a pharmacy technician.

Barnhart through injuries to former first round draft pick, Mesoraco, has established himself as an every day catcher by taking advantage to the opportunities that Turner mentioned.

His wife Sierra are due to have son, Tatum Elliot on Seprtember 1 but Sierra will be induced on August 31st if the blessed event doesn’t happen until then.

“I don’t know what it is with the catchers on this team,” Barnhart said.  “We all had the same idea come about Novermber, December of this past year.  We’re all excited. It seems to be the topic of conversation between us.  I haven’t got him any equipment yet but someday, I’ll have to get some.”

The irony besides three catchers having children in the same month is the Reds’ should have been covered with Turner as a third catcher.

“All sorts of babies,” Bryan Price quipped.  “We went through this a few years ago, didn’t we?  Half the team had wives that seemed to be pregnant.  I don’t know what it is. I wonder if the non-roster players in our organization are thinking about coming up to play this year. We will be without Devin for the next three days   We hope we can work out the timing so we always have two available catchers.”