Things haven’t gone nearly as smooth for Joey Bart as was hoped when the Giants made him the second overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft.
He was supposed to be the heir to Buster Posey’s throne, but with high strikeout rates and questionable defensive capabilities early in his career, it’s been a struggle for the 26-year-old to find solid footing.
Entering his fourth season and second full year, this feels like a time for him to make a leap. And who better to ask about his replacement than Buster Posey.
He joined Murph & Mac on Wednesday morning and mentioned that he talked to Bart for a bit in spring training.
“I got to spend a little bit of time with Joey when I was in spring training and he just seems to be in a really good place,” Posey said. “And when I say by that, I mean look, I spent 15 minutes with him, but he just seems relaxed, being confident.
“And honestly, that’s more than half the battle sometimes, is just feeling like you belong, feeling confident.”
Posey stressed the importance of Bart getting off to a hot start, saying that it’s impossible to overvalue how crucial that is. He raved over the power he saw from him at the plate.
“I know the defense has been on the up and up for a while,” Posey said. “And, man, incredible power. So I think we’ve all seen glimpses of that but when you stand down there on the field and watch the ball come off this guy’s bat, I mean, it’s elite power. So hopefully he can get the barrel on the ball quite often and good things to come.”
The Giants open the season with a visit to the New York Yankees in the Bronx, where Bart could get a look a chance to face Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. Former Giant Carlos Rodón will start the season on the injured list.
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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