© Brian Fluharty | 2019 Sep 18
Stephen Vogt knows a thing or two about catching. He also knows a thing or two about Joey Bart.
The former Giants fan favorite spent last year’s spring training with the recently-called-up youngster, and told Papa & Lund on Thursday that San Francisco’s top prospect is going to live up to the hype.
“This guy is going to be a really good catcher for a very long time,” Vogt said. “I know the bat is going to get a lot of talk but my experience with him was just he’s somebody that has ‘it.’ He’s got it. He’s well beyond his years as far as his IQ, his work ethic. He wants to work.”
There’s only one problem with the timing of the call up according to Vogt. The Giants start a three-game series vs. his Diamondbacks on Friday.
“Obviously, I wish they would have waited a few more days to bring him up.”
The scouting report on Bart is that he can crush the ball, and the numbers back that up. Yet it’s Bart’s ability as a receiver that most impressed Vogt.
“This is a kid when you’re doing drills in spring training you watch his hands,” Vogt said. “He’s got great hands, he’s a great athlete back there. He blocks well, throws well. Now the the framing stuff has become so big and it’s the one way we can quantify how catchers are affecting the game.”
“Joey has it. He’s got great hands and he understands how to work underneath the ball and bring it back into the zone. He’s going to continue to work and put the time in. This is a guy, like I said, the IQ is really, really good. I was really impressed by how he was calling games in spring training at his age. Really, the sky is the limit, and I think he’s going to be a very good defensive and offensive catcher for a long, long time.”
Listen to the full interview below.