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Former Brownsburg star Drew Storen signed with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
Drew Storen and Tucker Barnhart were a dominant battery for two years at Brownsburg High School. Now, the duo will be together again — this time, at the major league level.
Storen signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Reds on Tuesday afternoon. Barnhart, a catcher, was drafted by the Reds in 2009 and has spent parts of three season with the big league team.
Storen said he is looking forward to being reunited with Barnhart.
“I enjoyed throwing to him in high school, and we’ve played catch in the offseason,” Storen said. “He’s a great catcher and knows what I like to do. It’s going to be a fun year. He’s sharp behind the plate and makes those low pitches look pretty good. I like that.”
Barnhart said he and Storen talked earlier in the offseason while Storen was trying to make a decision.
“I’m extremely excited to move forward with our relationship on the field,” Barnhart said. “In high school, there wasn’t as much execution that had to be had. It’ll be special to sit down with scouting reports and figuring out how to attack hitters. He helped me in high school develop as a catcher and learn how to attack hitters.”
Storen, a Brownsburg native, grew up going to Reds games.
“Being from the area and it being my hometown team, it’s special that this worked out,” he said in a conference call Tuesday. “It’s a young group. Hopefully I can help some of the guys with my experiences.

Brownsburg High School baseball pitcher Drew Storen (cq/gm) is the All-West Baseball Player of the Year. Photo taken 6/12/07. (Gary Moore/The INdianapolis Star)
Storen spent last season with Toronto and Seattle after spending six seasons with the Nationals. He was traded to the Mariners from the Blue Jays after posting a 6.21 ERA in 38 games. He was 3-0 with a 3.44 ERA in 19 games for the Mariners last season.
While Storen hasn’t been a primary closer for several seasons, Reds president of baseball operations Dick Williams said manager Bryan Price will determine Storen’s role.
“That’ll be determined in spring training how Bryan ultimately uses the guys in the pen,” he said.
However, Williams said Storen will be valuable regardless of his role.
“We identified a group of pitchers that we wanted to go after that fit certain criteria. Drew was one of them,” he said. “We provide a very good opportunity for him here, and he can be a great asset to us. It’s a win-win situation.”
Storen said he’ll perform in whatever role he’s asked.
“It’s one of those things that on paper it’s nice to say this is what we’re doing, but realistically every day is different. It’s a very fluid situation,” he said. “Setting up in (2014) I had a really strong season and I’ve had a lot of different roles. I enjoy the ninth inning, but it comes down to executing.”
Reds relievers had a 5.09 ERA last season, second-highest in baseball behind only the Rockies.