Was Joey Bart the SF Giants’ answer at catcher all along?
HOUSTON — The Giants this week effectively gave a vote of confidence to their young catching tandem, Joey Bart and Blake Sabol, when they released veteran two-time All-Star Gary Sánchez from his minor-league contract.
But Bart, the Giants’ highest draft pick since Will Clark, the supposed successor to Buster Posey, didn’t take it as a coronation. He viewed the news in exactly the same way as he did this spring, when the Giants brought in all the competition they could and challenged him to earn the job.
“That’s stuff I don’t really pay attention to,” Bart said. “I can’t really get caught up with what’s going around with the buzz and the media. If you get too caught up on that it’s going to really take a toll on you. I’m just coming into the yard excited every day to compete, trying to do my best job I can all the way around.”
Quietly, the former No. 2 overall draft pick and top prospect just might be establishing himself as the Giants’ answer behind the plate, after all.
“We asked Joey to work on his all-around game and we’ve seen improvements basically from all angles,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Contact, better with his throws, working on his blocking, his framing has been solid, he’s been durable and dependable for us. Obviously he was dealing with the groin issue but as he’s been on the field, he’s been dependable and rock solid.”
While it wasn’t the best week for the Giants’ constitutions, it was a good one for Bart.
After Saturday’s home run derby in Mexico City, it was Bart who suggested Alex Cobb turn to a steady diet of curveballs against the Padres, who homered only once after six the previous day. With the thin air changing the movement of many pitches, Bart noticed Cobb’s curve was biting well and knew if he could execute it inside, hitters wouldn’t be able to extend their arms for a power swing.
Catching all nine innings of the Giants’ shutout effort Tuesday, Bart took charge with well-timed mound visits.
When Anthony DeSclafani wanted to throw Yordan Alvarez a 3-1 fastball outside, Bart proposed a slider instead and got the powerful Astros slugger to pop out. With the Giants’ dugout on edge as Camilo Doval battled the pitch clock in the ninth, Bart called time not once but twice to prevent an automatic ball and a walk that would have brought the tying run to the plate.
“It’s a big sign of growth,” Cobb said. “I think the biggest thing he’s improved on is being vocal and saying what he sees, being confident in what he sees and getting you to believe in what he sees and making you want to throw some pitches that he really wants.”
At the plate, Bart delivered two big hits in Wednesday’s win, including a double to the warning track that drove in his first run of the season. While he is still searching for his first home run, Bart raised his batting average to .302 with his two-hit effort Wednesday and, with no strikeouts, lowered his K rate to 27.1%, well below his rate last year (38.5%) and just a few ticks above league average (22.9%).
It’s all a product, according to Bart and catching coach Craig Albernaz, of a mindset of trying to get a little better every day.
“I set the bar high for myself, obviously, but everything I’m looking to do is just improve a little bit and stay about that process all across every aspect of my game,” Bart said. “Just trying to get a little bit better defensively, get a little bit better offensively, trying to swing at better pitches, trying not to really dig in to chasing hits and chasing numbers. It’s more of just trying to have better at-bats, just trying to have better games behind the dish, and that’s kind of been my focus.”
“It sounds so cliche,” Albernaz said, “but that’s really what the focus was.”
This offseason, Bart packed up his GMC Denali for the three-hour drive from his Atlanta home to a facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tread Athletics. The weighted-ball throwing program has primarily been used by pitchers, but Bart always wondered, with how much catchers also depend on their throwing ability, why a similar regimen wouldn’t be beneficial for him.
Bart was always regarded as a bat-first, glove-second prospect behind the plate. If there was a part of his defensive game, though, that earned recognition, it was his arm strength. So it was somewhat concerning that last season, according to Statcast, he ranked 45th in the majors at controlling the running game (minus-2 caught stealing above average).
In an all-day session, Bart went through a stretching routine, shoulder work, a throwing program and post-throwing program that he has incorporated into his pregame routine this season. He had his mechanics dissected on video, which received mostly positive reviews but did result in one tweak, making sure to keep his leg left closed when he has one knee on the ground.
The results, so far, have been excellent. He ranks 11th in the same metric that measured him 45th in 2022, and he’s added about a mile per hour to his average velocity on throws to second base. By keeping the leg closed and his upper body forward, it’s had downstream effects on his framing, which ranks in the 98th percentile in the majors.
By cutting down on his strikeouts, beefing up his defense and strengthening his bonds with the Giants’ pitching staff, Bart has bought himself some time and goodwill, if not earned the job outright. While Sánchez is now out of the picture, waiting in the wings is switch-hitting defensive specialist Patrick Bailey, also a first-round draft pick but, unlike Bart, one from the current regime. A hot start at Double-A earned Bailey, 23, a quick promotion, and he’s now only one step from the majors.
But Bart will continue to focus on himself, and the Giants have liked what they’ve seen so far.
“For me, everything’s been an uptick,” Albernaz said. “He was 25 last year. He works his butt off. He gives a (crap). And he’s very talented. At that age, if you have those three things, you can only get better. That’s what we’re seeing right now.”