Q&A with Giants' No. 2 prospect, Sacramento catcher Joey Bart

Sacramento River Cats catcher Joey Bart is one of the top prospects in baseball. The 2018 second overall pick out of Georgia Tech is the No. 16 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and the Giants’ No. 2 prospect.

The 24-year-old Bart visited with the voice of the Sacramento River Cats Johnny Doskow prior to the Aug. 30 game in Reno to talk about his rookie season, his time at Georgia Tech, what it’s like balancing offense while holding so many defensive responsibilities, and how Buford, GA. is an elite athlete pipeline.

Q&A

JD: I know you had that nagging quad injury, but how does it feel to get time off and get back in there for the River Cats?

JB: Yeah, it’s good to be back in the clubhouse and around the guys. I spent two weeks down in Arizona and worked really hard. The quad is feeling a lot better. It’s time to get back into playing shape and move here as we get down toward the stretch.

JD: I want to take you back a little bit. You got drafted out of high school. That decision to go to Georgia Tech, was that an easy one? Was that a no-brainer, or did you contemplate starting your professional career?

JB: I was definitely wanting to start a professional career. It was a tough decision, but at the end of the day, I wanted to go play at Georgia Tech for coach [Danny] Hall. A lot of my buddies had a great experience there. It was a blessing for me. It put me in a way better situation than I would have been coming out of high school, so if I had to do it over again, I would do it the same way.

JD: At Georgia Tech, it was like family to you early on. You had connections there. You knew the history of former Georgia Tech and Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek and former Georgia Tech and Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Weiters. Talk about growing up the Georgia Tech way.

JB: Coach Hall’s son Carter is one of my best friends. We played travel ball together since we were 12. Coach Hall saw me every single game. As I got older, and started to realize “Hey, I’ve got a chance to play college and beyond,” that was my spot. That is where I wanted to be. It’s 40-45 minutes from home. It’s a great program and a great school. In terms of the history … those guys just made it really comfortable for me to move in and transition. I got to learn a lot about catching. That’s what really drew me to Georgia Tech.

JD: People don’t realize that you’re still learning. You don’t have that many professional baseball games under your belt. You went up to the big leagues last year and you didn’t have much experience, and you held your own. I know you think things could have gone better for you, but talk about that experience of kind of getting thrown into the fire and how it all went.

JB: It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It was something I was really looking forward to. I was hoping I could crack the team last year, especially coming off 2019 where I finished really strong. It was a great experience learning how games are won up there, and learning pitchers and game calling. Just learning winning baseball. It’s been exciting to see what the Giants have done this year. Hopefully I can be a part of that.

JD: You’re an offensive catcher, but you also take a lot of pride in your defense. You have a great arm, release, and footwork, but talk about separating your defense. I ask catchers about that all the time. You have a day at the plate where you’re 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, but you have to separate that. Has that been easy for you, or is that something you had to learn over time?

JB: It’s actually something that hasn’t been too tough for me. Everyone gets frustrated when you’re not swinging the bat well, but my main focus has been on defense. … There’s a lot of stuff that we have to do to game plan and get ready. Hitting is usually the last thing I think of. It’s more of “When can I get to the cage in time where I can be on time for this meeting.” It’s a grind to try and balance both, but I think I’ve done a decent job at learning. If I can really hone in on my pitcher and my defense, I think it would take some pressure off me at the plate.

JD: We’ve talked about your dad and how you come from a family of athletes. Talk about your folks and the impact they’ve had on your development.

JB: My parents are the best. They’ve done so much for me. I look back and think about it, and it’s just bizarre. We used to drive hours for three or four days a week just to go to practice so I could be in front of the best players and scouts while playing for the best teams. They’ve been so supportive of me. I’ve been in a blessed position for a long time. I was pretty good at a couple other sports. I had options and I took baseball. It’s what I wanted to do. From an early age we just played sports. We had fun doing anything. It wasn’t all baseball. They weren’t super pressuring. They would give some tough love, and I am very thankful for that. My parents are my best support system. They just provided a lot, and so many different avenues for me to play.

JD: I know you love fishing in the offseason. Tell us about Buford, Georgia. It’s a small town. What was it like growing up there?

JB: I love it. It’s dear to me. That’s where I am going to be in the offseason every year. There’s a big lake there that my buddies and I love to go fishing on and hang out. It’s just a small town with great people. There’s some good athletes to come out of Buford. We have a really successful high school there. [Los Angeles Angels outfielder] Brandon Marsh, and actually Reno catcher Jamie Ritchie’s mom was my fourth grade teacher. It’s a small world coming from a small town. I wouldn’t change anything about it. It’s cool to see the next group of kids coming up through my hometown and how they’re going to represent where we’re from.

JD: I read about all these athletes that come out of Buford, GA, but it’s a small town. What is it about Buford?

JB: When I was six-eight years old, we had a really good football team. Everyone would come to Buford to play football. Good football players are good athletes. They play basketball and baseball too. Eventually it just started to grow into a powerhouse. Thankfully they have a lot of funds there. They could build great facilities that drew a lot of talent from that Gwinnett County area. If you know anything about Georgia, there’s some serious athletes there: [Tampa Bay Rays outfielder] Austin Meadows, [New Orleans Saints running back] Alvin Kamara, [New York Yankees outfielder] Clint Frazier. I’ve been watching these guys. My brother played against these guys in Little League. There’s just a lot of talent there and it’s really not a big area. It’s stockpiled with talent. In the south, baseball and football are super super big. It’s a hotbed for sure.

JD: We’ll wrap it up here. Good luck the rest of the way. It’s always great to catch up with you. Your approach, your camaraderie with your teammates, it’s second to none. I appreciate the visit.

JB: I appreciate it, Johnny.