As 2018 began, Joey Bart was the top catcher in the class, but he’s improved his stock overall in the class throughout the spring with his performance on the field.
Background Information
- Position: Catcher
- Height: 6′ 3″
- Weight: 225 lbs
- Class: Junior (Georgia Tech)
- Previously drafted: 27th round, 2015 (Rays)
College Career
Joey Bart started a majority of the season as a freshman for Georgia Tech. He played in 43 games, and he was solid, but unspectacular at the plate. He hit .299/.351/.382 with a home run during the year. The next season he played in 44 games, and saw an explosion of power. He hit 13 home runs on the year, doubled his walk rate – but he also saw his strikeout rate go up quite a bit, too. His average remained nearly the same, with a .296 mark.
This season he’s taken another big step forward. He’s hit a career best 16 home runs this season, but he’s also played in 57 games – by far the most of his career. It’s been his plate discipline that’s improved the most. Joey Bart has walked 41 times in 2018. In 2017 he had a total of 16 walks, which was twice as many as he had in 2016. He has also boosted his average, hitting .359 currently.
Career Stats
Let’s note that these starts are through May 28th.
| Year | AB | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | K | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2016 | 157 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 34 | .299 | .351 | .382 |
| 2017 | 186 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 16 | 50 | .296 | .370 | .575 |
| 2018 | 220 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 41 | 56 | .359 | .471 | .632 |
Scouting Report
As a catcher, the focus on Joey Bart is going to be on what he brings defensively. He brings plus arm strength to help control the running game. He’s also noted to have quiet, soft hands that help him receive the pitch well behind the plate. Bart is also noted as a quality game caller. Essentially, he stands out in all aspects as a catcher.
Offensively, though, he also has some things that stand out, too. Over the last two seasons he’s showed off big in-game power, and that matches well with his plus raw power he brings to the table. He’s also made big strides in controlling the strikezone during his junior year – though his contact rate is still low and it leaves a big question mark on his hit-tool, which some scouts grade out as below-average to slightly below-average.
As a catcher, the offensive expectations are the lowest of any position on the field. Even if he’s going to hit for a lower average, the power could lead to him being a well above-average hitter for the position. Mix that with the defensive attributes and he could be one of the better overall catchers in the game if he fully develops.
What’s to like with Joey Bart
As noted in the scouting report, the power and defensive combination could lead to him being one of the better catchers around. With plus raw power, he could be a 25-30 home run type behind the plate. That would make him rather rare, even these days when everyone seems to be hitting for more home run power than usual. Everything that he does defensively, and handling the pitching staff sticks out, and that alone usually can get a guy to the Major Leagues. There’s a ton of upside with Joey Bart.
What’s to be concerned about with Joey Bart?
The biggest thing to worry about with Joey Bart is his plate discipline. Prior to his junior season he rarely walked and had problems making contact. This season he’s walked a lot more, but he’s still struggling to make contact – at least for a guy considered a 1st round talent. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is poor for a guy expected to be taken at the top end of the draft. With 41 walks and 56 strikeouts it does make him one of the worst strikeout-to-walk ratio hitters projected to be in the 1st round (or in any recent 1st round). How that approach will translate to facing professional pitchers leaves open a pretty big question.
Does Joey Bart fit for the Reds?
This does go back to a similar question that has been asked in several previous draft profiles. If you want to look at exactly how he fits into the organization, there’s a slightly lesser fit. Tyler Stephenson is having another strong season this year and appears like he would be on the same timeline of progression as Joey Bart. But, if you’re going to follow the “take the best player available and if someone is blocked later, you can figure it out then” path, then Joey Bart absolutely fits in. Catchers have problems staying healthy, simply because of what they have to do and the beating that they take.