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

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?

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.