Giants GM Harris: Bart looks 'as good as I've ever seen him' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Buster Posey’s retirement over the offseason leaves a giant-sized hole in the Giants’ lineup, but one silver lining is the opportunity it opens up for Joey Bart.
The 25-year-old has played sparingly with in the big leagues since the Giants took him second overall in 2018, and he struggled in 2020 when he temporarily took over catching duties when Posey sat out the pandemic-shortened season. But with Posey retired and last year’s backup Curt Casali the only other catcher on the roster, Bart figures to have a prime opportunity to take over the starting job and run with it.
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General Manager Scott Harris certainly thinks so. In an interview with Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio, Harris said Bart has earned the long-awaited chance.
“He’s been waiting a long time for this opportunity to go into camp as a guy who’s going to be on the big league team,” Harris said. “And he’s put in a ton of work this offseason, getting his body right, working on his swing, learning our pitchers.”
Harris added that Bart has been catching bullpen sessions from starter Alex Wood in Georgia this offseason.
“He looks as good as I’ve ever seen him,” Harris said. “And he’s really earned the opportunity to show Giants fans what he can do and show his evolution as a player both in the box and behind the plate since 2020, and we’re just really excited to watch him.”
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Bart hit .233 with seven RB in 33 games in 2020, though he struck out 41 times and didn’t have a home run. He told MLB.com earlier this month that he went through a learning curve, and that “you're not going to get ready to play in the big leagues until you’re in the big leagues.”
Bart will likely split time at first with Casali, the veteran who was reliable defensively and had some big hits last season as Posey’s backup. Casali, who signed a one-year, $2.6 million deal to return to the Giants, hit .210 with five home runs and 26 RBI last season in 77 games.
“Bringing Curt back, it will be huge to our team,” Harris said. “He’s a great teammate and game-caller and a really tough at-bat at the plate.”
Related: What should Giants realistically expect from Bart next season?
Whether Bart or Casali get the majority of starts behind the plate next season, Harris doesn’t expect them to replace Posey.
“No one in our organization expects us to replace Buster Posey because that’s just a fool’s errand,” Harris said. “He’s going to be in the Hall of Fame and he deserves it. For us, we are excited about the catching core we have.”
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