Walking down the street with his wife Sierra and dog Prince, Tucker Barnhart hardly looks out of place in a suburban setting. At not quite six feet tall, the 26-year-old sports a buzz cut and a thick reddish beard. The beard makes him look older than his age, but otherwise he doesn’t look unlike any other 20-something with an eye toward starting a family and advancing in his career.
Even when he made it to the big leagues, Barnhart wasn’t the type of player who demanded attention. After appearing in a combined 102 games in his first two years in the majors, he became the Reds’ starting backstop out of necessity after injuries cut short Devin Mesoraco’s 2016.