How the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup should look in 2018

8. Austin Barnes — C

Yes, Austin Barnes should be the Dodgers starting catcher in 2018, not Yasmani Grandal. As good as Grandal is defensively and as much power he holds in his bat, he is far too inconsistent to keep his everyday starter role. Instead, the Los Angeles Dodgers should give the job to Austin Barnes, the Riverside native who started all but two games in the postseason.

The problem with Yasmani Grandal is low batting average. Sure, he has the potential to be the best power-hitting catcher in the game, but most of the time he is not doing anything for the Dodgers. Last season he hit .247 in 129 games. While that is not terrible, the Dodgers were also handpicking matchups for Grandal to maximize his output.

Barnes, on the other hand, proved to be more than just an option against left-handed pitching. The 28-year-old catcher actually hit better against right-handers last season in route to a combined .289 batting average in 262 plate appearances. Barnes has gap-to-gap power and can easily reach double figures in total home runs.

While it will be hard for Barnes to maintain a high .200s batting average in his first full season, there is no reason why the catcher cannot surpass the .270 mark. At the very least, Barnes gives the Dodgers consistency in the eighth spot; the team knows exactly what they are going to get out of him.

The same cannot be said for Yasmani Grandal.