Cincinnati Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart is tucked away in Ohio playing for a losing team this year. Although the 26-year-old backstop isn’t experiencing many wins, he is running away with the Gold Glove Award.

Defensively, no catcher has been better than Barnhart this season. As a below average hitter without much power to speak of, his glove and arm are the real reason he’s in the big leagues. His abilities are akin to Yadier Molina in the early years. During those seasons, Molina’s primary focus was with his glove and game-calling abilities. While Barnhart could follow a similar path and eventually become a better two-way player, the important thing to note is how great he is behind the plate.

There are multiple statistics to back up the claim that Barnhart is the best defensive catcher in baseball. His Defensive WAR is far better than any other catcher. Martin Maldonado trails him by about half a win with the rest of MLB’s catchers falling even further behind.

Along with his superior Defensive WAR, Barnhart is throwing out runners at an astonishing rate. Of the first 32 runners who attempted to steal on him, Barnhart has gunned down 18. This has given him a league leading caught stealing percentage of 56%. If this number holds, it will beat every season Molina posted except for one when he threw out 64% of runners in 2005.

Maybe the simplest statistic to show how well Barnhart has played this season are his zero errors committed. Through 443 innings played, Barnhart has played “perfect” baseball in the field. This is practically unheard of for a catcher. Throughout the season, they are often faced with many chances to throw a ball away or drop a pop up. The streak will likely come to an end at some point. For now, it’s keeping him on the path toward winning his first Gold Glove.

Dealing with the lackluster Reds pitching staff is no easy task. The mostly inexperienced crew has not performed well this year. Barnhart’s poor pitch framing statistics are partly due to pitchers employed by the Reds. There are also other factors that can come into play such as umpires missing calls. Regardless of this, Barnhart is an elite fielder worthy of more attention.

In a year where the Reds are trade deadline sellers again, Barnhart has been one of the few bright spots. He’s also just getting started as this season is only his fourth in MLB. And while he is not someone who should hit in the middle of the order, Barnhart does make good contact and knows how to avoid strikeouts. Through his first 200 plate appearances, the Reds catcher is a .278/.342/.392 hitter with one home run this season.

Barnhart doesn’t look like someone who will win any offensive awards. For now, he’s on his way to the 2017 National League Gold Glove, assuming he catches enough games between now and the end of the season. Even one award on his mantle when the season ends, Barnhart will have a long way to catch up with another famous Reds backstop, Johnny Bench.