San Francisco Giants: Is Joey Bart baseball’s best catching prospect?

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 18: Joey Bart, the number two overall pick in the draft by the San Francisco Giants, waves to the crowd during the Giants game against the Miami Marlins at AT&T Park on June 18, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco Giants appear to have a long-term building block in prospect Joey Bart. Is he baseball’s best catching prospect?

When the San Francisco Giants selected Joey Bart with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft, he immediately became the top prospect in the organization.

During his junior season at Georgia Tech, Bart hit .359/.471/.632 with 12 doubles and 16 home runs while also showing the defensive prowess to be a standout behind the plate.

He didn’t miss a beat after signing for a $7.025 million bonus, which represented a club record for a position player. In 51 games after signing between rookie ball and Low-A, he posted a .952 OPS with 15 doubles and 13 home runs in 228 plate appearances.

Expectations were high entering the 2019 season, and he was sent straight to High-A San Jose to begin his first full season in the organization.

After posting an .882 OPS with five extra-base hits in his first 10 games, he missed roughly six weeks with a fractured hand, and it took him some time to shake off the rust once he returned to action.

Still, he wrapped up the 2019 season with an .824 OPS in 338 plate appearances, slugging 14 doubles and 16 home runs along the way and earning a late promotion to Double-A where he went on a tear to close out the year.

The 22-year-old was sent to the Arizona Fall League to make up for some of the time he missed, and he continued to rake with a .333/.524/.767 line that included four home runs and more walks (9) than strikeouts (7) in 10 games. However, his AFL stint came to an abrupt halt when he was again hit on the hand with a pitch, this time resulting in a fractured thumb.

The two injuries aside, it was an overwhelmingly positive season for Bart, who now looks to be well-positioned to make his MLB debut in 2020.

So where does he rank among the best catching prospects in baseball? I’ve assembled my rankings on the next slide.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 21: Joey Bart #67 of the San Francisco Giants poses during the Giants Photo Day on February 21, 2019 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /

Without further ado, here’s my take on the best catching prospects in baseball:

1. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
2. Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics
3. Joey Bart, San Francisco Giants
4. Keibert Ruiz, Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Sam Huff, Texas Rangers
6. Luis Campusano, San Diego Padres
7. Miguel Amaya, Chicago Cubs
8. Ronaldo Hernandez, Tampa Bay Rays
9. Shea Langeliers, Atlanta Braves
10. Daulton Varsho, Arizona Diamondbacks

Others to Watch: Francisco Alvarez (NYM), William Contreras (ATL), Andrew Knizner (STL), MJ Melendez (KC), Gabriel Moreno (TOR), Cal Raleigh (SEA), Tyler Stephenson (CIN)

The No. 1 spot goes to this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Adley Rutschman.

He hit a ridiculous .411/.575/.751 with 10 doubles and 17 home runs during his junior season at Oregon State, while also showing the defensive ability to be a Gold Glove-caliber backstop at the next level.

He’s arguably the best collegiate catching prospect to come along since Buster Posey.

The only other player ranked ahead of Bart here is Sean Murphy, who has proven himself at the MLB level with an impressive late-season stint with the Oakland Athletics.

After battling injuries throughout his career, he finally reached the majors this season and made the most of the opportunity, hitting .245/.333/.566 with five doubles and four home runs in 20 games.

He’ll presumably begin the 2020 season as Oakland’s starting catcher, which means Bart will be moving into the No. 2 spot shortly after next season begins.

So is Joey Bart the best catching prospect in baseball?

Next. ATF's Final Top 10 Prospects of 2019

A strong case can certainly be made, and at the very least, he’s part of the top-tier of up-and-coming backstops ready to take the league by storm.

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The San Francisco Giants appear to have a long-term building block in prospect Joey Bart. Is he baseball’s best catching prospect?

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