Joey Bart’s spring struggles leave Pirates catcher battle wide open

For a moment in 2024, it looked like the Pittsburgh Pirates had pulled off a quiet heist.

When the club acquired Joey Bart from the San Francisco Giants, the former No. 2 overall pick quickly rewarded general manager Ben Cherington’s gamble. Bart delivered a breakout campaign his first year in Pittsburgh, posting a strong .799 OPS and providing much-needed offensive punch from a position that had long been a black hole in the Pirates lineup.

But momentum in baseball can be fleeting — and Bart’s follow-up season in 2025 looked far different than his first. His OPS dipped to .696, his slugging percentage plummeted from .462 to .340, and his overall value slipped to just 0.5 wins above replacement after a 2.2 WAR performance the year prior. For a catcher whose value is tied heavily to his bat — and whose defense has never been considered a strength — that regression raised real questions.

Now, those questions are growing louder this spring. Bart’s struggles have continued into Grapefruit League play, where he’s collected just one hit in 18 at-bats while striking out nine times. His most recent outing — an 0-for-2 performance that included another strikeout — did little to quiet concerns.

Joey Bart running out of opportunities to carve out regular role in Pirates' lineup

Ordinarily, a slow spring from a veteran might not matter much. But for Bart, the timing is significant. Henry Davis has quietly carved out a larger role behind the plate, catching roughly 60 percent of the Pirates’ rotation. The former No. 1 overall pick is still trying to establish himself offensively, but his defensive progress and growing comfort with the pitching staff have clearly earned trust inside the organization.

Bart’s offensive upside remains the biggest argument in his favor. Even during last year’s regression, he showed flashes of the hitter the Pirates believed they were getting. His .891 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025 suggests he could still be an extremely valuable bat in the right matchup situations.

That profile creates several possibilities. The Pirates could deploy a true timeshare between Bart and Davis, alternating depending on the pitcher or matchup. They could lean more heavily toward Davis if Bart’s bat continues to lag. Or, given Bart’s relatively modest $2.53 million salary in his second year of arbitration, the Pirates could view him as a trade chip.

For now, though, the biggest takeaway from Bart’s difficult spring is uncertainty. The Pirates entered camp with what appeared to be a relatively defined catching hierarchy. Instead, Bart’s struggles have reopened the competition entirely. And for a team desperately seeking more offense across the roster, that makes the position one of the most unsettled storylines of the spring.

Bart still has time to rediscover the swing that made him such a pleasant surprise in 2024. If he does, the Pirates could once again have one of the more productive offensive catchers in the National League. If not, the door for Davis — and perhaps others — is wide open.