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Catcher Joey Bart has undoubtedly been a major impact player for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, and the rest of the baseball world has taken notice.
Bleacher Report released its 2024 MLB All-Breakout Team, consisting of one non-rookie player at each position who has taken his game up a notch this season, and Bart was given the nod as the league's breakout catcher of the year.
Once viewed as a future star when the San Francisco Giants selected him at No. 2 overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Bart struggled to find success at the MLB level before this season. He hit .219/.288/.335 in 162 games over four seasons with the Giants before being traded to Pittsburgh on April 2.
It appears that the change of scenery has been just what Bart needed. Since the Pirates acquired him from San Francisco, he has put up career numbers at the plate and is slashing .262/.340/.476 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 73 games. He has also been a difference maker behind the dish in Pittsburgh, earning high praise from the Pirates' pitching staff for his communication and preparation.
Bart, I don't want to alarm you... pic.twitter.com/hTtw2O98It
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 6, 2024
Joey Bart's breakout season with the Pirates has earned him a starting job in 2025
As a midseason acquisition, Bart may not have factored into the Pirates' initial plans for 2024, but he should absolutely factor into their plans for 2025.
According to Jose Negron of DK Pittsburgh Sports, it's "hard not to think" that Bart will enter the offseason as the favorite to earn the Pirates' starting catcher job next season over the likes of Endy Rodriguez or former No. 1 overall draft pick Henry Davis, given what a reliable contributor he has become during his relatively short stint with the club.
Rodriguez has just recently returned to minor league game action as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, so it's unclear what kind of workload he'll be able to take on in 2025. Meanwhile, Davis has failed to live up to the high expectations surrounding him in his Major League opportunities.
Perhaps he could be a candidate for a change-of-scenery trade in the near future; it certainly worked out well for Bart.
In Bart, the Pirates appear to have uncovered a diamond in the rough. At 27 years old and under club control through 2027, he has earned the opportunity to extend his breakout 2024 campaign into a longer career as a core player for Pittsburgh.
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