While Joey Bart certainly has endeared himself to the San Francisco faithful through his first two games in the Major Leagues, his home ballpark may have cost him his first big league homer.
MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall prospect doubled and drew a bases-loaded walk in his second career game
While Joey Bart certainly has endeared himself to the San Francisco faithful through his first two games in the Major Leagues, his home ballpark may have cost him his first big league homer.
MLB Pipeline's No. 15 overall prospect doubled and drew a bases-loaded walk in his second career game as the Giants defeated the D-backs, 6-2, on Friday at Oracle Park. Bart, who also doubled in his big league debut Thursday, has two hits in his first seven at-bats.
Starter Logan Webb, who had only worked with Bart in two Spring Training appearances in 2019, was impressed with the 23-year-old backstop in his seven-inning stint Friday.
"He's pretty good, huh?" the right-hander quipped. "He's one of the biggest competitors and it's just, he's fun to watch. It's fun to work with him and he's going to be a special player. ... He's just, he's a pro, man. He gets it. He's the ultimate competitor and he was ready for this. I'm just excited to watch him and to watch him grow. He's going to be special."
Facing veteran lefty Robbie Ray in the second inning, the top Giants prospect smoked a first-pitch fastball for a 103.4-mph liner high off the right field wall. The 376-foot drive likely would have gone out in most Major League stadiums but was contained by the brick facade in the gap at Oracle Park.
Bart recorded his first Major League RBI after a battle with veteran righty Junior Guerra in the seventh inning. The second overall selection in the 2018 Draft fouled off five pitches and drew a free pass on the 10th pitch of the at-bat, looking off a fastball that sailed well out of the zone.
"I thought Joey's walk after the intentional walk to Alex Dickerson was really an important moment," Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the game. "It was so professional and he never got out of control. ... It was actually just as calm as everything else he's been doing, so that was really promising."
The 23-year-old struck out in his other two trips to the plate.
In 517 at-bats over the past two Minor League seasons, Bart batted .284/.343/.532 with 29 homers, six triples, 29 doubles, 88 RBIs and 84 runs scored. He earned a midseason promotion in each of his two years in the Minors, ending last year with Double-A Richmond. In 22 games with the Flying Squirrels, the Georgia Tech product homered and doubled four times, recorded a triple and drove in 11 runs while batting .316 with a .912 OPS.
Bart's promotion to the Majors on Thursday made him the last of the top four picks in the 2018 Draft to debut this season. Right-hander Casey Mize (No. 8 overall prospect) made his first start for the Tigers on Wednesday. Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (No. 31 overall) is batting .276 in 29 at-bats and White Sox infielder Nick Madrigal (No. 44 overall) was 5-for-17 before going down with a separated shoulder.
In other action:
White Sox 10, Cubs 1
In a romp over their crosstown rivals, the White Sox got the jump-start they needed from Luis Robert. The top White Sox prospect got the team on the board in the second inning when he blasted a two-run homer off Jon Lester. The center fielder has six long balls and an .865 OPS through 91 Major League at-bats. Two innings later, No. 19 White Sox prospect Danny Mendick joined the party with his second homer of the season, a solo shot off Lester. On the other side, No. 55 overall prospect Nico Hoerner drove in the lone Cubs run with an opposite-field in the eighth. Box score
Blue Jays 6, Rays 5
Blue Jays No. 25 prospect Thomas Hatch worked around a two-out single in a scoreless inning to earn his first career win. Hatch has a 2.13 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 12 2/3 innings this season. The 25-year-old was 19-30 with a 3.99 ERA in 79 appearances, all starts, in three Minor League seasons. No. 23 prospect Santiago Espinal went hitless in three at-bats for Toronto. Box score
Red Sox 8, Orioles 5
Fifth-ranked Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle walked twice and scored on Chance Sisco’s eighth-inning homer in his Major League debut. Mountcastle was hitless in his other two plate appearances. The 23-year-old has been among Baltimore’s top prospects for five seasons, batting .295/.328/.471 with 70 homers and 274 RBIs over that span. Box score
Royals 7, Twins 2
Twins No. 26 prospect Jorge Alcala was lights-out over three innings of shutout relief. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out six and yielded a hit and a walk in his fourth consecutive scoreless outing. Alcala has a 1.50 ERA and has yielded a run in just one of six outings this season, striking out nine in as many innings. A day after making his big league debut, sixth-ranked prospect Ryan Jeffersstruck out in each of his three at-bats for Minnesota. Box score
Mariners 7, Rangers 4
M’s No. 19 prospect Braden Bishop grooved a two-run double, his first at the Major League level, in the first inning and walked in three at-bats. The knock was the first of the season for the 26-year-old outfielder. Mariners No. 20 prospect Joey Gerber notched his second hold of the season after recording the last two outs in the sixth. The 23-year-old righty has a 6.00 ERA over six innings this year. Texas reliever Kyle Cody struck out the side in the ninth to become the first Rangers pitcher to whiff his first three opponents in his Major League debut since Peter Fairbanks did it against the A’s last June. Box score
Marlins 3, Nationals 2
Fifth-ranked Marlins prospect Jesus Sanchez made his big league debut, playing right field and hitting eighth in the lineup. He went 0-for-4 at the plate but did make two catches in the outfield in the Miami win. Top Nationals prospect Carter Kieboom was 0-for-2 and got hit by a pitch in the seventh inning. Second-ranked Luis Garcia finished 0-for-4. Box score
Tigers 10, Indians 5
Isaac Paredes had gotten off to a slow start in the big leagues, but the No. 7 Tigers prospect made history Friday night. In the fourth, he blasted a grand slam off Adam Plutko over the left field wall for his first Major League homer. He’s the 12th player in Tigers history to hit a grand slam for his first dinger and the first since Brennan Boesch in 2010. No. 30 Detroit prospect Rony Garcia earned his first Major League win, allowing a hit with one punchout over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. No. 18 Bryan Garcia worked around a walk for a scoreless frame in the eighth. Box score
Padres 4, Astros 3
Jake Cronenworth reached base three times, chipping in an RBI double and a pair of walks. San Diego's 19th-ranked prospect is batting .328 and ranks second among qualified rookies with a .400 on-base percentage. Astros No. 3 prospect Abraham Toro was hitless with a pair of strikeouts in five at-bats. No. 25 prospect Taylor Jones singled and scored on a double by Myles Straw in the sixth inning, while 14th-ranked Enoli Paredes recorded a strikeout in a perfect eighth. Box score
Braves 11, Philles 2
In a game with a few debuts, JoJo Romero made the loudest entrance. The Phillies' No. 15 prospect pitched a perfect eighth inning, striking out the side on 12 pitches. In succession, he whiffed Adam Duvall, Austin Riley and Johan Camargo -- all swinging. Top Braves prospect Cristian Pache collected his first hit in the seventh with an opposite-field single to right field. Alec Bohm, the top Phils prospect, went 0-for-3 with a walk. Box score
Reds 4, Cardinals 2
Pitching in relief for the second time this year, Jake Woodford delivered two perfect innings for the Cardinals. The No. 14 prospect fanned one and lowered his ERA to 1.80. Eleventh-ranked Genesis Cabrera (1-1), took the loss, surrendering three unearned runs on a walk with two strikeouts in an inning. Top Cardinals prospect Dylan Carlson grounded out as a pinch-hitter to end the game. Box score
Athletics 5, Angels 3
Second-ranked A’s prospect Sean Murphy got the start behind the plate and was 1-for-3 with a walk in the victory. In the second, he drew a free pass, then laced a single to center field in the eighth. He’s reached base in eight of the last nine games in which he’s recorded a plate appearance and has a .760 OPS. Top Angels prospect Jo Adell went 0-for-4 and is hitting .190 through 42 at-bats. Box score
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