DET
Joey Bart, C
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Scouting report
Is Bart gonna Zunino? The synchronicity is uncanny. A college catcher, whose profile is driven by power and defense, goes in the top five but is rushed to the big leagues before his bat is ready, which has potential long-term consequences for his upside. Bart had only seen about a month's worth of at-bats above A-ball before the Giants decided to promote him. He did very well in those 32 games, hitting for huge power at Double-A during the final few weeks of 2019, then for the first two weeks of the 2019 Fall League, until a fractured his right thumb ended his season. In that narrow window of health we saw glimpses of Bart's power with physically fit phalanges. Whether he'll get to his power in games is now in doubt since Bart struck out in 42% of his big league plate appearances in 2020. He was both chasing and missing in the zone at higher rates than the big league average. This comes after 550 minor league plate appearances with a paltry 6% walk rate. Should we have seen an approach red flag here? Bart walked at a 10% clip in college. With new questions about his bat, Bart's defensive tools become the foundation of his skillset. He's Mike Alstott's size but with the lateral quickness and ground game of a small-framed catcher. He's quick out of his crouch and throws accurate lasers to second base. He also has field general qualities: he's a rousing, vocal leader at times, a calming presence at others. Still likely to be an everyday catcher, Bart's ceiling is now dictated entirely by how much of his power he can get to in games. (Alternate site, MLB)