SF Giants Gameday: Reliving Joey Bart's Giants' debut

SAN FRANCISCO -- Joey Bart is accustomed to being told to wait his turn. During his sophomore year at Georgia Tech, the Giants' new catcher said he dreamed of making the collegiate national team and put a ton of pressure on himself to crack a roster where spots were reserved for only the most elite players. Bart didn't ultimately make that team, but he did learn a valuable lesson. "I think that experience has really helped me be patient and understand that things all happen for a reason and my time is going to come," Bart said ahead of his debut Thursday at Oracle Park. "And when it is here, I'm going to make the most of it." So when Bart was left off the Giants' Opening Day roster this summer, he knew all about the work left in front of him. The Giants' top prospect and the No. 2 overall pick from the 2018 MLB Draft admitted he was disappointed, but he worked diligently on his defense in an effort to prove to the franchise's top decision-makers he was ready for the spotlight. On Wednesday night, the call came from Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who was huddled with general manager Scott Harris and field manager Gabe Kapler as they were ready to deliver the news. Bart would be coming to the big leagues. "I was shaking for what seemed like 30 minutes," Bart said. The Giants' catching prospect used his disappointment in being left off Team USA as fuel to become the top collegiate catcher in the country and did so by the end of his junior season. Four weeks into the Giants' 2020 regular season, they could no longer ignore the fact Bart presented them with their best option to win. He joined the roster Thursday, debuted with a double and will be the starting catcher for the foreseeable future. The man who has held that job for the last decade, Buster Posey, even sent Bart a congratulatory text to celebrate the achievement. "He shot me a text and told me congratulations, that meant a lot to me, he's an unbelievable guy," Bart said. "I'm glad that he and the babies and the family are healthy."