San Francisco Giants designated hitter Joey Bart. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Giants designate former top prospect for assignment

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 3/31/24

The San Francisco Giants are giving up on a player who was once seen as one of baseball’s elite prospects.

The Giants designated catcher Joey Bart for assignment on Sunday, essentially ending his tenure with the team. Giants manager Bob Melvin suggested that Bart deserved the chance to play more frequently than the team could offer.

Bob Melvin on Joey Bart:

“At the end of the day, if he's in the big leagues, and he's getting to play and he's in a better place, then you wish him the best. He worked awfully hard for us this spring. He had a great attitude the whole time knowing that this could potentially…

— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) March 31, 2024

Bart was the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and, for a time, was viewed as one of the game’s top hitting prospects.

At one point, the Giants even viewed him as the heir apparent to Buster Posey. The organization was careful not to rush him when the opportunity to replace Posey presented itself, but ultimately, he never quite developed enough to play every day at the MLB level.

In 162 career games in the majors, Bart has hit just .219 with 11 home runs, all of which came in 2022. His initially strong minor league numbers have tailed off as well in recent years, prompting the Giants to move on from the 27-year-old.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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