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JACKSONVILLE - At least there is this for Giants fans. We've moved up three spots in Baseball America's Organizational Talent Rankings. Bart makes the list and the new influx of talent from the most recent draft seems to have pushed Heliot Ramos outside the Top 100.
As mentioned, pitching is thin and filled with high-floor, low-ceiling guys. The Giants really had to get more out of Beede and Stratton, the two #1's. That they are getting more from Suarez, a lower rounder and Derek Rodriguez, a converted outfielder says a lot about where this team is and where it is going.
State of the System: The Giants added a potential first-division catcher in Bart. Young outfielders likeHeliot RamosandAlexander Canarioare years away, but they they do have promise. The Giants' pitching depth is thin, but finding surprises on the free agent market likeDereck Rodriguezhas helped them work around those issues in the past.
Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Speed: 40 | Defense: 55 | Arm: 60 Scouting Report: Listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Bart has all the tools necessary to become an above-average defensive catcher at the pro level. He has a strong arm that's at least above-average and likely plus, as well as strong and quiet hands, footwork that's online to his target during throws and exceptional game-calling abilities for an amateur. Prior to this spring, scouts questioned Bart's effort behind the dish, but the recent feedback has been exceptional. When he's locked in and focused, he looks the part. Offensively, Bart has plus raw power to all fields and has a solid track record in the ACC. Bart also has a solid wood bat track record, hitting .309/.389/.433 with two home runs in the Cape Cod League in 2016, which should help ease the worries of teams who might knock him for a poor summer in 2017, when he was dealing with a groin injury while playing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team. Bart does have a history of striking out a bit too much, and most evaluators put the hit tool at fringe-average at best, but the combination of his defensive tools and his ability to get to his power in-game at a position that is incredibly scarce.
JACKSONVILLE - This is what I was worried about during the mini-debate surrounding the "move him out from behind the dish" issue. Diminished productivity and diminished longevity. What are the risks and benefits associated with the obvious loss of power and how does that factor into Posey's value to the Giants down the road? Do you eventually pass a point of no-return regarding moving him to a defensive position other than 1B?
This is why Joey Bart was drafted IMO. It was on draft day, it is even more so today.
San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey will not appear in the All-Star Game next week in Washington due to a lingering hip issue.
Posey lost out to Willson Contreras for the National League starting job, but he still earned his sixth career All-Star selection by winning the players' vote.
The 31-year-old has been battling inflammation in his hip this season and will receive an injection Sunday, then use the All-Star break to recover, according to Amy Gutierrez of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Posey is hitting .285/.367/.412 with five home runs and 18 doubles, and ranks third among catchers with his 1.8 WAR in 74 games this season.
SAN FRANCISCO - The more I see and hear about this kid, the more excited I get for his arrival in San Francisco. I know it may be a year or so down the road but the anticipation is buffered somewhat by the "What to do with Buster.. question. The more he catches, the more productivity you lose from his bat, especially in the power department.
The contract and the #2 slot in the draft make the expectations for Bart higher across the board. He has to be an impact pick for this franchise.
Bart, a catcher who was chosen second overall by San Francisco at the MLB draft earlier in June, officially signed with the Giants on Sunday for a reported $7.025-million signing bonus - the highest up-front bonus ever handed to a drafted position player, according to Jim Callis of MLB.com.
That figure comes in below the $7,494,600 slot value of the second overall pick.
Bart's bonus bests Kris Bryant's former record for a position player - the Chicago Cubshanded him a $6,708,400 bonus in 2013. The overall record belongs to Cincinnati Redspitching prospect Hunter Greene, who inked a $7.23-million deal as last year's second overall pick. Two other picks in the 2017 draft - Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Wright, and the Tampa Bay Rays' two-way phenom Brendan McKay - also signed for over $7 million.
The 21-year-old Bart was taken second overall by the Giants following a stellar three-year run at Georgia Tech, and is widely expected to be Buster Posey's successor behind the plate in San Francisco. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2018 after slashing .359/.471/.632 with 16 homers and 38 RBIs, and also won the conference's batting title. Defensively he was just as stellar, allowing only two passed balls while catching 12 would-be base-stealers in 33 attempts.
The Giants are closing in on a deal with No. 2 overall pick Joey Bart, reports John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The former Georgia Tech catcher needs only to pass a physical, per the report, before the deal is official. An announcement from the team could come as soon as Friday, according to Shea, who adds that Bart is expected to sign for a bit south of the $7.494MM value of the No. 2 overall slot.
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Outside of Bart, Hjelle, Wong, Rivera and maybe 6th round HS OF Patrick Hilson, if the Giants get any return elsewhere in this draft it will be pure gravy. The need a big hit from Joey Bart and some return from Hjelle.
Blake Rivera is intriguing with the comps to Craig Kimbrel. 5th rounder Keaton Winn sounds like a prototypical Giants pick, a big, sturdy, college RHP.
Catcher Bart and pitchers Hjelle, Wong, Rivera highlight early-round picks
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants, traditionally a franchise with a college emphasis in drafting, surprised many last season when they took a trio of high-upside high school prospects in the first three rounds of the 2017 MLB Draft.
But in 2018, San Francisco reestablished its focus on college talent, and pitching in particular, as it used the second overall pick on the mature bat of Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart and took college arms with seven of its next nine picks.
San Francisco added five prospects ranked in MLB Pipeline's top 200, headlined by Bart (No. 6) and a trio of established college aces in Sean Hjelle (Kentucky, No. 44), Jake Wong (Grand Canyon, No. 72) and Blake Rivera (Wallace State CC, No. 111). The club took No. 94 prospect Brett Hansen, a left-hander from local Pleasanton, Calif., in the 38th round, but he is expected to attend Vanderbilt in the fall.
The Giants, who had drafted 19 high schoolers in the previous three Drafts, used 35 of 40 picks on collegiate talent. Ten came from junior colleges, headlined by fourth-rounder Rivera, fifth-rounder Keaton Winn (Iowa Western CC) and 13th-rounder George Bell Jr. (Connors State College), the son of 1987 American League Most Valuable Player Award winner George Bell.
In fact, of the five high schoolers selected by the Giants, only Hansen and speedy sixth-round outfielder Patrick Hilson, drafted out of Nettleton HS (Ark.), were from the continental United States.
Shortstop Edison Mora (Round 7), outfielder Bryan Hernandez (Round 18) and catcher Angel Guzman (Round 21), the other three pre-collegians, were all drafted out of Puerto Rico.
Selected with a rare top-five pick, only the fifth in franchise history, Bart gives the Giants the sure bat they coveted (.359 average, 16 homers, 1.103 OPS in 57 games this season) in a Draft light on premier catching talent, and perhaps an heir apparent to the 31-year-old Buster Posey behind the plate, though the Giants are a "best player available" organization that doesn't consider Major League need in its drafting.
"We, as a philosophy here -- and that's throughout our organization here -- we don't draft for need for what our big league club is, because a lot can happen in a one-year period of time or different years," scouting director John Barr said.
With that in mind, the Giants' selections in the top 10 rounds suggest that this could be a class that builds towards the pitching staff of the future, with Hjelle (7-5, 3.44 ERA) and Wong (9-3, 2.81 ERA) flashing potential as rotation arms.
Rivera's curveball might be one of the best pitches in this Draft, and he has drawn comparisons to Craig Kimbrel for his journey, repertoire and mentality despite having started for two years in college. Winn excelled as both a starter and a reliever at the junior college level.
In total, the Giants drafted 23 pitchers, four catchers, seven outfielders and six infielders. According to MLB Pipeline, the Giants' top 30 prospects include 14 pitchers, two catchers, nine outfielders (including five in the top six) and five infielders.
Do-Hyoung Park is a contributor to MLB.com based in the Bay Area.
The analysis used in the BA article is very sound and logical. It shows that Bart, and the others mentioned, use an "up the middle", all fields type of approach and are not "pull-happy" to generate their power. When you can knock it out of the yard to the deepest part of the ballpark, you have a power reserve that the "pull-happy" guys can't tap into.
It makes me more excited about Bart to the point that he could be the most significant position player pick for the Giants since Posey. Ramos was significant as well, but in more of a surprise that he turned out to be better than expected on draft day. Bart comes with big expectations and it will be interesting to see how he produces at the pro level and how soon he can make an impact at the MLB level.
Illinois first baseman Bren Spillane led all hitters in the sample with nine opposite-field homers. He hit nine, which was three more than the next closest player. Spillane also showed an ability to hit for power to all fields, with at least three homers hit to each field except center, where he came up empty. He also led the field by hitting 39 percent of his homers to the opposite field.
Wichita State third baseman Alec Bohm showed a remarkable ability to hit to all fields. While he hit only one home run to the opposite field, he hit at least three to each of the other fields. In fact, he led the sample by hitting 75 percent of his homers to the middle of the field.
Florida third baseman Jonathan India also demonstrated the ability to hit to all fields. He hit multiple homers to each field and hit 53 percent of his homers either to the middle of the field or the opposite field.
Oregon State outfielder Trevor Larnach hit 16 of his 17 home runs—that’s 94 percent—to the middle of the field or the opposite field. He hit six home runs to straightaway center, which was easily the highest number in the sample. Larnach should have no trouble translating his power to pro ball.
Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart smashed 13 of his 16 home runs (81 percent) to center or the opposite field. Only Larnach and Spillane had a higher percentage of homers that weren’t pulled.Sent from my iPhone
OMAHA, Neb. (NCBWA) – Five collegiate stars (three from 2018 NCAA Super Regional contenders) are the finalists for the 32nd annual Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear in balloting by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in conjunction with the Dick Howser Trophy committee and the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.
Catcher Joey Bart of Georgia Tech, Texas second baseman Kody Clemens, Auburn starting pitcher Casey Mize, Florida starting pitcher Brady Singer and Illinois first baseman Bren Spillane are the five finalists for the prestigious 32nd annual awarding of the Howser Trophy.
The winner will be announced on Saturday, June 16, at a 10 a.m. (CDT) national news conference at TD Ameritrade Park – home of the 72nd annual NCAA World Series.
Each finalist embodies the major principles of character, leadership, desire, and competitive spirit exhibited by Dick Howser, the All-America shortstop and later head coach at Florida State before managing the Kansas City Royals to the world championship in 1985. He also is the namesake for Dick Howser Stadium at FSU.
Bart, who was the second overall pick in the MLB draft earlier this week, was named a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award for the nation's outstanding collegiate catcher. He also was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player-of-the-Year after hitting .359 with a team-high 16 home runs and drove in 38 runs. A junior, Bart also was tabbed by the ACC as the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year and was a first-team All-ACC selection. He has been named to both the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball All-America squads.
The Buford, Ga., native led the ACC in hitting and was second in slugging percentage (.632) and hits (79), and was in the top 10 in home runs, runs scored and on-base percentage (.471). He posted a season-high 16-game hitting streak, the longest of the year for a Yellow Jacket player, and totaled 24 multi-hit games on the season overall, which included a pair of multi-home run games in which he blasted two long balls at Mercer on April 10 and on the road at Virginia on May 14.
A solid defensive catcher, Bart posted a .992 fielding percentage on the season, threw out 12-of-33 would-be base stealers and recorded three pickoffs from behind the plate.
Clemens, who led the Longhorns to their first Big 12 conference title since 2011, spurred Texas to the Super Regional round as a junior, hitting a team-high .346 with 21 home runs and driving in 68 runs. The Houston native was selected by Detroit in the third round of the MLB Draft and was honored as the Big 12 Player-of-the-Year and named to Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball's All-America teams. A Golden Spikes Award finalist, Clemens defensively has been a stalwart at second base, helping turn 68 double plays, which ranks third in the nation.
Mize, a first-team All-Southeastern Conference honoree, was the first overall pick by the Detroit Tigers after posting a 10-5 record and posting a 2.95 earned run average. He has struck out 151 batters in 109.2 innings, while helping the Tigers to the Super Regionals against top-seed Florida. Mize was named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, was a first-team All-America selection by Baseball America, while Collegiate Baseball slotted him on its second team.
His 151 strikeouts not only lead the SEC and rank second in the country, but are also tied for the third most in a single-season in program history. Dating back to the beginning of last season, the Springville, Ala., native has struck out 260 batters and issued only 21 walks. Along with his strikeout total, Mize also leads the SEC in strikeout-to-walk ratio (12.58), strikeouts per nine innings (12.39) and WHIP (0.81). His strikeout-to-walk ratio and WHIP are good for second and third in the country, respectively.
Mize has turned in a quality start in 10 of his 16 trips to the mound and has gone the distance in three games this season. He took the mound on March 9 vs. Northeastern and turned in the ninth no-hitter in program history while totaling 13 strikeouts without issuing a walk. The 13-strikeout performance against the Huskies was one of six outings with 10 or more strikeouts this season, including a record-matching 15 strikeouts vs. Vanderbilt on May 4. Mize joined former Auburn pitchers Mark Chapman, John Powell, Tim Hudson and Chris Bootcheck in the 15-strikeout club and was the first SEC pitcher to accomplish the feat in a conference game since 2012.
Singer was the SEC Pitcher-of-the-Year and a first-round selection of Kansas City, earning first-team All-America honors from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. Baseball America's National Player of the Year led a talented Florida staff with an 11-1 record in 14 starts, while fashioning a 2.27 ERA and holding opponents to a .188 batting average. The Eustis, Fla., native finished with seven or more strikeouts in eight games, had a season-high 11 strikeouts against Vanderbilt and also had 10 strikeouts against Kentucky. His 10 SEC wins led the conference in the regular season and helped him earn First Team All-SEC honors. Other career awards included 2017 All-SEC Second Team, College World Series All-Tournament Team and Academic All-SEC.
Singer's career numbers to date are equally as impressive with a career record of 21-8, ERA of 3.18 and 265 career strikeouts in 264.2 innings pitched. His 265 career strikeouts ranks seventh all-time at Florida.
Spillane posted a strong season at the plate, hitting .389 with 17 doubles and 23 home runs, while slugging a NCAA-leading .903. Spillane was named Big Ten Player of the Year, Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Year and Baseball America listed the junior on its first-team All-America squad. Spillane was honored as the Big Ten's Player of the Year and selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the MLB Draft.
He is the first player in program history to win a national player of the year award and the first Big Ten player drafted in 2018. Spillane was the first player in Division I to slug over .900 in a season since 2009. The Wheeling, Ill., native's rare combo of speed and power helped him become the first player in Illini history to have 15 homers and 15 steals in a single season.
Recent finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy have included the likes of standouts Clemson OF Seth Beer (2016 winner, first freshman to receive Dick Howser Trophy), Wake Forest 3B Will Craig, Louisville UTIL Brendan McKay, Kent State P Eric Lauer, and Texas A&M 3B Boomer White; and 2015 aces Arkansas OF Andrew Benintendi (winner), UCLA RP David Berg, Vanderbilt SP Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt SS Dansby Swanson and Miami (Fla.) 3B David Thompson.
The Howser Trophy was created in 1987, shortly after Howser's death. Previous winners of the Howser Trophy are Mike Fiore, Miami, 1987; Robin Ventura, Oklahoma State, 1988; Scott Bryant, Texas, 1989; Alex Fernandez, Miami-Dade Community College South, 1990; Frank Rodriguez, Howard College (Texas), 1991; Brooks Kieschnick, Texas, 1992 and 1993; Jason Varitek, Georgia Tech, 1994; Todd Helton, Tennessee, 1995; Kris Benson, Clemson, 1996; J. D. Drew, Florida State, 1997; Eddy Furniss, LSU, 1998; Jason Jennings, Baylor, 1999; Mark Teixeira, Georgia Tech, 2000; Mark Prior, P, USC, 2001, Khalil Greene, SS, Clemson, 2002; Rickie Weeks, 2B, Southern U., 2003; Jered Weaver, P, Long Beach State, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, P/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, P, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008; Stephen Strasburg, P, San Diego State, 2009; Anthony Rendon, 3B, Rice, 2010; Taylor Jungmann, P, Texas, 2011; Mike Zunino, C, Florida, 2012; Kris Bryant, 3B, San Diego, 2013; A.J. Reed, Kentucky, 2014; Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas, 2015; Seth Beer, Clemson, 2016; Brendan McKay, Louisville, 2017.
This is a good first day haul for the G-Men. I liked Hjelle in this spot early on and his Rank is right there with the Pick.
Bart immediately challenges Heliot Ramos for the top prospect spot, both are 50-55-ish on the scout scale. I would rate Bart higher on my list because he is further along the development path, he is a WYSIWYG. Ramos, you can still dream on, but the dream can still turn into a nightmare. Hjelle could start at or near the Top Ten in the Giants organization and should rise to the big club in 2019 at best or 2020 at worst. Bart, I wouldn't mind seeing this September, but they may want to avoid the "Who's your catcher?" question considering who the current catcher is and his face of the franchise status.
Depending on the price, these three are the most intriguing names left after day one.
Let's go Christmas shopping!!
Rocker has been at or near the top of most list since the pre-season.
Pompey is intriguing in spite of the lackluster scouting reports.
Wilcox might be the best long-term value, unless he is committed to Georgia for two years.
That may be what we are seeing here is the first glimpse of highly rated HS'ers who have either priced themselves out of the early rounds or are totally committed to college.
Some team will take a flyer after the tenth round. The first ten rounds are "must sign" because it has an effect on the dollars allocated to spend.
Nander De Sedas,(HS-SS) and Steven Gingery (LHP) from Texas Tech might also be worth looking at with the next pick
or two for the Giants. Eighty names have been picked so in theory, anyone who was ranked <80 and="" board="" is="" on="" span="" still="" the="">
becomes a good value pick. If you trust your initial due diligence and scouting department.
Power arm, power bat at a premium defensive position. Not a need pick by any means, but a good building block who gives the team some future flexibility to move a piece or two for pitching.
I guess we may not see as much of Nick Hundley in the future as we might have liked. He was really starting to make his mark on this team, as if the Willie McCovey Award wasn't enough.
This is a solid pick at the #2 sport, where you really can't afford to make a mistake.
Giants select Georgia Tech star Joey Bart No. 2 overall
With the second pick in the 2018 MLB amateur draft, the San Francisco Giants selected Georgia Tech star Joey Bart, a power-hitting catcher recently dubbed Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Yearand Defensive Player of the Year.
Bart joins a weak Giants farm system with just one other catcher - Aramis Garcia - anywhere near the top. Now, Bart is the likely heir to Buster Posey who, at 31 years old, slots in at first base with growing frequency. Coincidentally, Bart's player comparison was Posey himself, according to MLB Network.
From Buford, Ga., Bart was previously selected out of high school in the 27th round by the Tampa Bay Rays but went unsigned to attend Georgia Tech. Last season, the 21-year-old backstop led the ACC in batting average, slugging, and hits. He became the first ACC Player of the Year out of Georgia since Mark Teixeira.
Bio
Age: 21 Position: C Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 225 pounds Bats/Throws: R/R School: Georgia Tech Player comp: Buster Posey Pick value: $7,494,600 MLB prospect rank: 6 MLB.com money quote: "Bart's power potential could have gotten him selected in the first five rounds of the draft (out of high school) ... his development at the plate and improvement behind it (at Georgia Tech) has him positioned as the top college catcher available in 2018."
1. Joey Bart 6-2, 215 C Power arm and a power bat, playing a premium defensive position. Good catch and throw skills.
2. Heliot Ramos 6-2, 185 OF Potential high-ceiling player the Giants have been looking for. Great bat speed, early returns were impressive.
3. Chris Shaw 6-3. 230 1B Lefty power bat, limited defensively to 1B, Matt Adams comp?
4. Tyler Beede 6-4, 215 RHP from Vanderbilt projects as top of the rotation starter when he works out his command/control issues. When he misses, he misses by a bunch.
5. Stephen Duggar 6-1, 170 CF Another toolsy, under-achieving OF in the Gary Brown mold, hoping for better results.
6. Sandro Fabian 6-0, 180 OF Dominican signee from 2014, shows some pop in his bat. Below average arm and lack of speed should push him towards LF.
7. Aramis Garcia 6-2, 220 C from Florida INTL projects as a good bat behind the dish with enough defensive skill to play there long-term
8. Heath Quinn 6-2, 190 OF Strong hitter, makes contact with improving approach at the plate. Returns from hamate bone injury.
9. Garrett Williams 6-1, 205 LHP Former Oklahoma standout, Giants prototype, low-ceiling, high-floor prospect.
10. Shaun Anderson 6-4, 225 RHP Large frame, 3.36 K/BB rate. Can start or relieve
11. Jacob Gonzalez 6-3, 190 3B Good pedigree, impressive bat for HS prospect.
12. Seth Corry 6-2 195 LHP Highly regard HS pick. Was mentioned as possible chip in high profile trades.
13. C.J. Hinojosa 5-10, 175 SS Scrappy IF prospect in the mold of Kelby Tomlinson, just gets it done.
14. Garett Cave 6-4, 200 RHP He misses a lot of bats and at times, the plate. 13 K/9 an 5 B/9. Wild thing.
2019 MLB Draft - Top HS Draft Prospects
1. Bobby Witt, Jr. 6-1,185 SS Colleyville Heritage HS (TX) Oklahoma commit. Outstanding defensive SS who can hit. 6.4 speed in 60 yd. Touched 97 on mound. Son of former major leaguer. Five tool potential.
2. Riley Greene 6-2, 190 OF Haggerty HS (FL) Florida commit.Best HS hitting prospect. LH bat with good eye, plate discipline and developing power.
3. C.J. Abrams 6-2, 180 SS Blessed Trinity HS (GA) High-ceiling athlete. 70 speed with plus arm. Hitting needs to develop as he matures. Alabama commit.
4. Reece Hinds 6-4, 210 SS Niceville HS (FL) Power bat, committed to LSU. Plus arm, solid enough bat to move to 3B down the road. 98MPH arm.
5. Daniel Espino 6-3, 200 RHP Georgia Premier Academy (GA) LSU commit. Touches 98 on FB with wipe out SL.
2019 MLB Draft - Top College Draft Prospects
1. Adley Rutschman C Oregon State Plus defender with great arm. Excellent receiver plus a switch hitter with some pop in the bat.
2. Shea Langliers C Baylor Excelent throw and catch skills with good pop time. Quick bat, uses all fields approach with some pop.
3. Zack Thompson 6-2 LHP Kentucky Missed time with an elbow issue. FB up to 95 with plenty of secondary stuff.
4. Matt Wallner 6-5 OF Southern Miss Run producing bat plus mid to upper 90's FB closer. Power bat from the left side, athletic for size.
5. Nick Lodolo LHP TCU Tall LHP, 95MPH FB and solid breaking stuff.
