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Joey Bart’s time with the San Francisco Giants major league camp has come to a close. On Tuesday, the team announced that Bart — the organization’s top prospect in most rankings — was being re-assigned to minor league camp.
The Giants reassigned Joey Bart to minors camp. A lot earlier than they did last year. They expect him to be in the big leagues this season, but they know he needs to develop more.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 10, 2020
This is certainly no indictment of Bart. It’s really just to make sure he’s getting steady playing time in the minors, while those who are actually battling for the opening day roster can get more reps.
Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area explains the team’s thinking:
The Giants have not yet announced where Bart will begin the season, but president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi has said in the past that the goal was for Bart to start in Triple-A. That would put him in position for a call-up this season, although the staff does not want Bart to come up to the big leagues and sit five days a week. That’s why he never was really part of the competition to win the backup job, one now fully focused on Rob Brantly and Tyler Heineman, with the possibility that the Giants add someone at the end of camp.
Manager Gabe Kapler was laudatory when talking about Bart, but pointed to his inexperience. As Kapler has done all spring, he was open about the areas where he wants to see his players improve.
Here is what Gabe Kapler told me when I inquired about Joey Bart yesterday: pic.twitter.com/Graw6uBvt1
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 10, 2020
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi also spoke on Tuesday, and noted that Bart could get some time at first base in the minors. He also pointed to Buster Posey’s strong spring, perhaps suggesting that the Giants won’t have as much of a two-man operation as perhaps we initially thought.
Zaidi on Bart: "We’re excited we have Buster feeling as great as he is and that Joey continues to progress. And we’ll hopefully see him up here at some point this season. We’ll get to see those guys play together at some point very soon, and roster-wise we’ll figure it out."
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 10, 2020
Farhan Zaidi said Joey Bart could play a little first base in the minors before he were to get called up to the majors.
— John Shea (@JohnSheaHey) March 10, 2020
The Giants also re-assigned Cristhian Adames, and option Joe McCarthy and Enderson Franco.
The Giants also optioned Enderson Franco and Joe McCarthy. They reassigned Cristhian Adames to minor league camp.
— Andrew Baggarly (@extrabaggs) March 10, 2020