Joey Bart's Emergence Gives Pirates An Answer
With former top prospect Endy Rodríguez out for most of the season due to an elbow injury that required surgery and Henry Davis yet to live up to expectations, there weren't many viable options behind the plate heading into the 2024 season.
Joey Bart turned things around and had the best season of his career after Pittsburgh landed him in a trade after he was designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants. With Bart's play in his first season with the Pirates, Bleacher Report ranked Bart as the No. 18 catcher in baseball for his play last season.
"The catcher of the future for the Giants from the moment he was taken No. 2 overall in the 2018 draft, Bart never lived up to expectations in San Francisco and was designated for assignment shortly after Opening Day and traded to Pittsburgh," Reuter writes. "The 27-year-old thrived with the change of scenery, posting a 120 OPS+ with 11 doubles, 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 80 games, and now the Pirates have an answer behind the plate through 2027."
Bart, 27, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft but struggled mightily with San Francisco and fell out of favor with the emergence of Patrick Bailey, who was No. 10 in Bleacher Report's rankings. The trade to Pittsburgh was exactly what Bart needed, as the right-handed hitting catcher played 80 games and hit .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs, all of which were career highs.
With Rodríguez healthy, how the Pirates move forward with the trio of him, Bart and Davis will be one of the top storylines heading into the 2025 season. If Bart can continue his success from last season, it'd be hard to envision Pittsburgh not sticking with him behind the dish.
