Joey Bart


Joseph Andrew Bart is an American professional baseball catcher in the San Francisco Giants organization. Prior to playing professionally, Bart played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In 2018, he won the Johnny Bench Award, which honors college baseball's best catcher. The Giants chose him with the second overall pick of the 2018 MLB draft.

Amateur career

Bart attended Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. He became the starting catcher for the school's baseball team in his freshman year. He had a.556 on-base percentage and a.859 slugging percentage in his junior year, but was pitched around by opposing teams in his senior year, decreasing his performance. The Tampa Bay Rays selected Bart in the 27th round of the 2015 MLB draft, but he opted not to sign.
Bart enrolled at the Georgia Institute of Technology to play college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. After his freshman year in 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list in his sophomore year, but he missed the last 11 games of his sophomore season with a broken finger. Following his sophomore season, he played for the United States national collegiate baseball team, and returned briefly to the CCBL to play with the Harwich Mariners. In 2018, his junior year, Bart had a.359 batting average, the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a.632 slugging percentage, the second-highest in the ACC. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award watch list, and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's Baseball Player of the Year. Bart also won the Johnny Bench Award.

Professional career

Considered a top prospect in the 2018 MLB draft, the San Francisco Giants selected Bart with the second overall pick. He signed with the Giants for $7,025,000, the largest signing bonus ever for a position player. Due to the layoff following the college season, the Giants sent Bart to their Scottsdale, Arizona, facility, before assigning him to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. In 45 games and 181 at bats for Salem-Keizer, Bart slashed.298/.369/.613 with 13 home runs and 39 RBIs. He was named an NWL mid-season All Star, a NWL post-season All Star, a Baseball America Short-Season All Star, and a 2018 MiLB.com Organization All Star.
The Giants invited Bart to spring training as a non-roster player in 2019. Bart began the 2019 season with the San Jose Giants of the Class A-Advanced California League. He broke his hand on a hit by pitch on April 15 and was on the injured list until June 4. Bart was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. In August, the Giants promoted Bart to the Richmond Flying Squirrels of the Class AA Eastern League,. with whom he finished the year. Over 79 games and 313 at bats between the two clubs, Bart slashed.278/.328/.495 with 16 home runs and 48 RBIs. He played in the Arizona Fall League for the Scottsdale Scorpions following the season, for whom he batted.333/.524/.767 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 30 at bats, and was named a "Rising Star". He was named a 2019 MiLB.com Organization All Star.
The Giants again invited Bart to spring training in 2020.