Joey Bart

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Joseph Andrew Bart

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Biographical Information[edit]

Catcher Joey Bart was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft. He was considered the best catcher available in the draft, and also one of the hitters with the most power. He was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2018 in junior season at Georgia Tech and also won the Johnny Bench Award as the best college catcher. Out of high school in 2015, he had been a 27th round selection by the Tampa Bay Rays but chose to go to college instead.

Many observers noted Bart's similarities with Giants catcher Buster Posey, the man he was presumably drafted to replace: both were from the state of Georgia, were converted to catching and took well to the position change, and had excellent bats to complement their defensive skills. He was also a finalist for three top collegiate awards which Posey had won: the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Johnny Bench Award. On June 17th, he signed with the Giants for a bonus of $7.025 million. He was slated to begin his pro career with the Class A Salem-Keizer Volcanoes after attending a mini-camp in Scottsdale, AZ with other recent draftees,

He was named to the roster of the National League team for the 2019 Futures Game. He reached the majors in August of 2020, the season that Posey had decided to sit out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He hit .233 in 33 games that year, but when Posey came back in 2021 for one final great season, Bart was back in the minors, appearing in just 2 big league games and going 2 for 6. He finally got an extensive look in 2022, following Posey's retirement, but failed to impose himself, hitting just .215 in 97 games, with 11 homers, 25 RBIs and an OPS+ of 87. He was the team's regular catcher, ahead of two 30-somethings, Austin Wynns and Curt Casali, but it's fair to say his production was a big disappointment. In 2023, he was squeezed out of a job when Blake Sabol, taken in the 2023 Rule V Draft, showed some unexpected prowess with the bat and another top draft pick, Patrick Bailey made his debut and quickly won over the job. Bart was the odd man out, hitting .207 in 30 games, with no homers and spending a good chunk of the season back in the minors.

Bart made the team in spring training in 2024 but did not get to play in the first few games of the year, then was designated for assignment on March 31st. By then, it had become clear that he was no longer part of the Giants' future plans. On April 2nd, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Austin Strickland, who had yet to make his professional debut. In the immediate, he was taking the place of the injured Jason Delay as the back-up to Henry Davis. However, he would need to start hitting to keep the job, as defensive metrics constantly placed him below average, even though he had a reputation as a good defensive catcher in college. The trade seemed to be the opportunity he needed as he played very well the rest of the way, hitting .265 in 80 games with 13 homers and 45 RBIs for an OPS+ of 121. The Pirates had no choice to make him the everyday catcher, as over a full season, those numbers would have been of All-Star level. He could not keep it up in 2025, however, as he sank back to an OPS+ of 94 - although this was still the second highest of his career. That year, he .349 with 4 homers and 30 RBIs in 93 games. This looked more like his expected level of production going forward, and the Bucs let go of the idea that he could be the long-term answer at catcher. He outhit their other backstop, Davis, but Davis was much better defensively and was favored by some key starting pitchers.

In 2026, he produced at a similar level in his first 21 games, hitting .259 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs. His case was not helped when he went on the injured list with an infection on his left foot in early May and by the time he was ready to return in mid-June, the Pirates were satisfied with the work of Davis and Endy Rodriguez behind the dish. On June 18th, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in return for P Hunter Stratton. Atlanta's lack of depth at catcher had been exposed by injuries to Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy earlier in the season, which had forced them to bring Sandy Leon out of quasi-retirement just to have a healthy backstop, so, as a proven major league catcher, he was a welcome addition. Pittsburgh also desperately needed bullpen help at the time so it filled needs for both teams (if Stratton and Bart panned out).

Further reading[edit]

  • Chris Haft: "Giants pick C Bart 2nd, tall righty at No. 45", mlb.com, June 4, 2018. [1]
  • Aiden Stepansky: "Pirates clear up catcher logjam by dealing Bart to Braves for Stratton", mlb.com, June 18, 2026. [2]
  • Alex Stumpf: "Pirates trade for former No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart from Giants", mlb.com, April 2, 2024. [3]

Related Sites[edit]

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