As No. 1 catcher, Barrera feels 'like a leader'

ATLANTA -- When the Nationals recalled Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester in early July, he was set to play a part-time role. Replacing an injured Alex Avila, he was the understudy to starting catcher Yan Gomes.

But one week after Barrera’s promotion, Gomes landed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique strain, and Barrera became the starting catcher. And with Gomes since traded to Oakland and René Rivera landing on the IL, Barrera finds himself as not only the starting catcher, but also the team’s “veteran” catcher.

“At first, I was a young guy just trying to stay afloat and follow, but now it’s kind of like I feel like a leader almost,” Barrera said. “With some of these young pitchers and being the older catcher here, having a younger group, it feels like now there’s something, I feel like guys look upon me to be a leader. I’m doing the best I can with the opportunity, and hopefully I can lead them the right way and get us some W's here going forward.”

Barrera, 26, has started 15 of the last 18 games before receiving a day off on Saturday against the Braves. He held a firm grasp on the job when he was slashing .314/.386/.471 through his first 17 games of the season, although he has gone hitless in his last 20 plate appearances.

Just as important, manager Dave Martinez has been impressed by his defense. Barrera has been rewarded with his manager's trust, as he said Martinez called him “the manager on the field” when he's playing.

“He’s handled himself really well,” Martinez said. “It’s something we always talk about. He’s done a great job with our pitching staff.”

Barrera has been joined by fellow rookie Riley Adams, who was promoted on Aug. 3. Since both catchers are right-handed, there’s no clear platoon, and Martinez has said he wants to see both players get in-game action.

While he is not nearly as established as Gomes was as the Nationals’ backstop, Barrera is hoping that he can take what he learned from Gomes to improve and help Adams grow as well. Gomes was always there to answer Barrera’s questions during the three years they spent together in the Nationals’ organization, and Barrera hopes he can play that role, too.

One of the biggest takeaways Barrera learned from Gomes was how Gomes was able to stay composed and steady no matter the situation.

“I’ve always been a high-strung, high-energy guy,” Barrera said. “I’m always going to be that type of player, so, for me, less is more. And that’s what I took away from Yan. Yan was really calm, not saying much. I’m really twitchy, move-y. But for me, less is more. And I feel like when I do that and stay within myself, good things happen.”