Giants prospect Joey Bart had plenty of eyes on him before Buster Posey opted out of playing in the 2020 MLB season last week. Bart's performance in camp since then has attracted even more, including a home run to one of the deepest parts of Oracle Park in Friday's intrasquad game.
The Giants' brain trust, including manager Gabe Kapler and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, has maintained all along that Bart won't be on the Opening Day roster. The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly noted earlier this week that Bart's service time undoubtedly has something to do with the decision, pointing to a stipulation in MLB's return-to-play agreement that a rookie only needs to be off the major league roster for six days -- assuming the 60-game season actually is completed during the coronavirus pandemic -- in order to accrue a year of service time. If the season isn't completed, that number drops and Bart is a year closer to free agency.
But Bart's play in camp means it's only a matter of time before he makes the team, Giants third base coach Ron Wotus said Friday.
“Young players are evaluated in the moment, but they’re also evaluated on last year, and at this point in time in his career, it would not hurt him to gain more experience,” Wotus told Mark Willard, filling in for KNBR's "Papa & Lund" on Friday (H/T KNBR's Jacob Hutchinson). “Now having said that, anything’s possible. I don’t know what’s being said out there whether he’s gonna be on the club or not be on the club, but he certainly has the ability -- and it’s right at the plate -- to help this ball club. So, I anticipate -- whether he starts with us or he doesn’t -- he’s gonna be with us very, very soon and help this ball club.”
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Bart has made 556 plate appearances since the Giants selected him No. 2 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, including 338 in High-A and Double-A in 2019. He slashed .278/.328/.495 last season, hitting 16 home runs along with 48 RBI.
The 23-year-old catcher has played beyond his years in camp, drawing praise from multiple veteran teammates in their interviews with reporters. Despite publicly earning his older teammates' praise, Wotus said the Giants' veterans still remember to treat Bart like any other rookie behind the scenes.
"He's that talented," Wotus said of Bart earning compliments from his veteran teammates. "He's been around the guys a little bit. Believe me, they still rib him and give him the business like they do all the young guys. ... [But when] you can play, you can play, and he's got a huge upside and he's getting better all the time."
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The Giants are scheduled to begin the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 23. Six days later, they would host the San Diego Padres in their first home series of the season at Oracle Park.
Bart won't start the season with the Giants, but most observers' eyes will remain fixated on their top prospect to see if he gets a call to the big leagues. Wotus doesn't seem to think they'll be waiting long.
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July 19, 2020 at 02:39AM
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Wotus believes Bart will be with Giants 'very, very soon' - NBC Sports Bay Area
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