Pirates Catcher Looking to Repeat 2024 Success
![Apr 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (14) circles the bases on a three run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Apr 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart (14) circles the bases on a three run home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3798,h_2136,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/pittsburgh_pirates/01jjnq8b7jmps7011mq4.jpg)
Catcher Joey Bart was a pleasant surprise for the Pittsburgh Pirates last season, and the foundation he set has positioned him for yet another prosperous campaign in 2025.
MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan listed Bart among the 10 players in the league who have the potential to break out even further after showing glimpses of excellence over small sample sizes last year.
"Selected second overall by the Giants in the 2018 MLB Draft, Bart was expected to be the heir apparent to franchise icon Buster Posey behind the plate in San Francisco," Harrigan wrote. "However, he had trouble carving out a consistent role with the Giants over parts of four seasons with the team, struggling on offense (.623 OPS) and failing to distinguish himself as a defender. His tenure with the Giants came to an unceremonious end last April when the club traded him to the Pirates for 2023 eighth-round Draft pick Austin Strickland. Bart, though, found new life in Pittsburgh, posting 13 homers with a .799 OPS and a 121 wRC+ over 282 plate appearances while splitting playing time with veteran Yasmani Grandal. The 28-year-old still needs to prove himself on defense, but with Grandal a free agent, he’s about to receive the biggest opportunity of his career."
As Harrigan laid out, Bart fell out of favor with the Giants after once ranking among baseball's top prospects and was designated for assignment last March.
The Pirates bought low via trade with the hope that a change of scenery would help him round into form, and that's exactly how things played out.
Bart slashed .265/.337/.462, while his 13 homers and 1.3 fWAR were both top-five marks among Pittsburgh position players despite the fact that he only appeared in 80 games.
He is the Pirates' unquestioned starter behind the plate entering spring training with Grandal out of the picture, ranking ahead of Endy Rodríguez, Henry Davis and Jason Delay for the time being.
While Bart has proven to be an inadequate defender, evidenced by his -5 Fielding Run Value and -2 Framing Runs as a major leaguer, he'll have no issue sticking in Pittsburgh's lineup as long as he continues to shine with the bat.